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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29075025">Kabuto Dad Au beta</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuko/pseuds/Miyuko'>Miyuko</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorCresselia/pseuds/SailorCresselia'>SailorCresselia</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverbird22/pseuds/Silverbird22'>Silverbird22</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyngacat/pseuds/Zyngacat'>Zyngacat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rider Dad AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Kabuto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Complicated Relationships, Kid Fic, M/M, Slow Burn, Tendou's trans here, Trans Male Character, i had a lot of feelings on kabuto, spot the references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:01:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29075025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuko/pseuds/Miyuko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorCresselia/pseuds/SailorCresselia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverbird22/pseuds/Silverbird22, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyngacat/pseuds/Zyngacat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rider Dad AU is like a soup we have been slowly stewing for a long time.</p><p>and now it is ready to be put in a bowl.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kagami Arata/Tendou Souji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rider Dad AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1450240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning for later chapters: Child Endangerment.</p><p>also: happy 15th anniversary Kamen Rider Kabuto</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>1999</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“Put this belt on… tell no one about how you received it. …They won’t believe you anyways.”</p><p>And that was the last that Souji Tendou, and Hiyori Kusakabe saw of the shimmery man.</p><p>All that was left of him was his belt.</p><p>So, Tendou lifted the rubble off of himself and Hiyori and pulled them out of the rubble… </p><p>And promptly passed out.</p>
<hr/><p>He woke up while being rescued.</p><p>“HIYORI! HIYORI!!!”</p>
<hr/><p>Souji Tendou did not remember what had happened when they’d taken him away from his sister.</p><p>But going by how he’d been restrained in the hospital bed, and how Grandmother looked at him… It had not been good.</p><p>“This weakness of yours… Souji. As you are now, there is no way you will be chosen, you must walk the path of heaven and become the man who will rule over all.”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>2002</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“…Arata… I’m… sorry. I… I…” said the woman before passing out.</p><p>“Hinata?”</p><p>There was no response</p><p>“HINATA?! <em><strong>HINATA</strong></em>?! ANSWER ME, PLEASE!! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR, PLEASE, OUR DAUGHTER WAS JUST BORN!”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>2004</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Souji Tendou, who was in the middle of his training to someday become Kamen Rider Kabuto, woke up one day, and realized he could remember a completely different version of the past five years compared to the ones he’d lived.</p><p>-Along with a sixth and seventh year.</p><p>…Ah. The man who’d given him the belt had been <em>himself</em>, from an alternate timeline.</p><p>…Now he just needed to find Kagami again. Hiyori would be easy, La Salle should be simple to locate.</p><p>Hopefully the One from This timeline would be worthy of his sister.</p><p>(Worm or no, she <em>was</em> still his sister.)</p><p>…He should look into that cowboy look he’d worn. He quite liked it.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou stared at the pregnancy test.</p><p>…Well then. This was new.</p><p>But no matter, he could handle it.</p><p>Even if this had never come up in the Original timeline</p>
<hr/><p>It was the middle of the night at a library.</p><p>It was usually slow around five in the morning.</p><p>Two workers who’d gotten stuck on the night shift were chatting, one of them having come in to relieve the other from duty.</p><p>“That path of heaven guy came by <em>again</em> for the parenting books?”</p><p>“Yeah, same weird late night hours as always. I see him around during the day too, when <em><span class="u">does</span></em> that guy <em>Sleep</em>?”</p><p>“I wanna know who could <em>stand</em> him enough to <em>actually</em> make a kid with him.”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>2005</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Souji Tendou was the man who would walk the path of heaven, and currently training to become Kamen Rider Kabuto. Admittedly, he didn’t know <em>When</em> that day would come. But he couldn’t skip his training, even after he’d gotten pregnant. He’d been careful, too. But condoms <em>were</em> only 99% effective.</p><p>Either possible father would’ve been a terrible father anyway, judging by the way they’d both had never come back to that bar, but he supposed the sun was too intense for most people.</p><p>They hadn’t even learned each other’s names. All he had to go on was that one of them called himself ‘the man who would stand at the top’, and the other had spoken of ‘perfect harmony.’</p><p>(It was a shame he’d never found Oda in this timeline. Hopefully he was still alive somewhere.)</p><p>Still, the food and drink that night had been good, at least. There had been Halloween themed gimmicks that day too.</p><p>And at the very least he was lucky he didn’t have that much dysphoria over the concept of Being pregnant. </p><p>(He’d been spared getting pregnant in the original timeline, which was <em>very</em> good as he’d lacked the resources there to transition as fully as he’d wished, pregnancy would have made it far worse. …Especially with what had happened to his mother in <em>both</em> timelines.)</p><p>Suddenly, Tendou was taken out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Ah.”</p><p>Souji Tendou looked down. His water had broken, but he had his training to complete.</p><p>What would Grandmother do in this situation?</p>
<hr/><p>“You do have to realize ‘continuing to do your training’ is Not something I would have said, Souji.”</p><p>“My apologies, Grandmother. I felt I had time, and I did.”</p><p>“Ah! She’s so Cute! What are you going to call her, Onii-chan?”</p><p>Souji Tendou was the man who would walk the path of heaven. His daughter would have a name that would mean the same thing. And if she decided that, like her father, she was <em>not</em> a <em>woman</em> who walked the path of heaven, he would help them decide on a new name. But for now, he would settle on Yu. It seemed only fitting that way. Besides, it Was a gender neutral name.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou flipped through the newspaper he’d been given.</p><p>The stay in the hospital was… dull, to put it simply, and he was wasting time that could have been put to better use training.</p><p>(He tried to not think about how the hospital that the original timeline’s version of Hiyori had died in had been far far worse.)</p><p>He looked over at Yu, the infant only two days old. Too young to even open her eyes.</p><p>As much as he liked children, <em>infants</em> were a completely different matter, let alone his <em>Own</em> infant daughter.</p><p>He’d only briefly held her, mostly if required to feed or change her.</p><p>She was… so small.</p><p>And he was not.</p><p>The all encompassing sun in all its glory.</p><p>It would be so <em>easy</em> to burn this small being he called his daughter.</p><p>He’d been too young and weak to be able to protect his parents in either timeline, or the Hiyori that had yet to be born who’d died with them. (The worms who had replaced the two of them had gone off in their places. The daughter they had given birth to hadn’t asked for any of this, and regardless of her species, she was still his beloved little sister.)</p><p>He hadn’t found Hiyori in the original timeline fast enough after their encounter in 1999.</p><p>She’d died just two days after they met, as he’d performed the marriage between her and Kagami while she laid in her hospital bed.</p><p>(…The less that was said of that timeline’s version of Jyuka, and how she’d died far, <em>far</em> too young due to the state of the world… the better.) </p><p>And then there was Kagami, or at least the one he’d known for all too brief a time… his brother in law.</p><p>Kagami had been horribly wounded defending him, because yet <em>again</em> he’d been too weak.</p><p>And then Kagami had died, and would have remained dead if not for Hyper Kabuto… not that he hadn’t been dying when he’d changed time.</p><p>Tendou hadn’t even found either the Hiyori or the Kagami of This timeline yet. (He knew he would Eventually. It was only a matter of time, especially as Zect had been formed in this timeline as well.)</p><p>For a big man such as himself, one who walked the path of heaven, and was talented at so much, he’d failed so many.</p><p>He couldn’t fail any more people.</p><p>Even if he had to fight all alone.</p>
<hr/><p>“Nii-chan! You <em>have</em> to Hold the baby, she needs love!”</p><p>“She is doing fine as she is-”</p><p>Jyuka puffed her cheeks at him.</p><p>“You and I <em>Both</em> know the books said it helps with bonding. And you promised you were going to be a good papa to Yu-chan, like you’re a good big brother to me. Grandma is right about a lot of things, and so are you, but you <em>Agreed</em> the path of heaven stuff is too much pressure for a <em>Baby</em>!”</p><p>“…You are right, Jyuka. Yu is very lucky to have you for an aunt.”</p><p>Jyuka smiled. “I promised to help you <em>And</em> Yu-chan, after all.”</p><p>Tendou picked Yu up.</p><p>She was quite light for one so important in his life, especially after he’d “dealt” with her the last 9 months. </p><p>Yu scrunched up her face, but remained asleep, snuggling a bit closer to him.</p><p>
  <em>‘Ah.’</em>
</p><p>It then finally sunk in.</p><p><em>This</em> was the sort of person he’d been training to protect, the one he’d been preparing and waiting for the last nine months.</p><p>She, at last, was here.</p><p>“…Hello, Yu. It’s nice to finally meet you at last. Welcome to the world.” he spoke quietly, not loud enough for Jyuka to hear.</p><p>These words were for himself and Yu alone.</p><p>Yu responded by clutching his shirt.</p><p>Tendou lowered his head, held the infant closer, and sobbed.</p><p>Jyuka didn’t tease him for crying.</p>
<hr/><p>There was a knock at the door.</p><p>A very tall blond with an odd hairstyle entered.</p><p>Tendou wondered where he purchased those ladybug brooches. Even if he didn’t intend to wear them himself, they seemed like the sort of thing Jyuka would like.</p><p>“Buongiorno, Souji Tendou?”</p><p>“You’re speaking to him.”</p><p>“It’s nice to finally find you.”</p>
<hr/><p>Jyuka stared at the blond man.</p><p>The blond remained silent.</p><p>“Another brother! -Although, Nii-chan could also use a friend.”</p><p>“Brother is fine.”</p>
<hr/><p>“So, I’m guessing you and Nii-chan met through time travel?”</p><p>“-!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. It’s great having a Magical <em>Boy</em> in the family, too!” said Jyuka excitedly.</p><p>“…What?”</p>
<hr/><p>The early stages of Yu’s life were fairly uneventful. The lack of sleep wasn’t anything too bad for one walking the path of heaven as he did. He already tended to sleep in short shifts, after all.</p><p>It <em>did</em> make it somewhat harder to be on time to cook breakfast for Jyuka, since the baby didn’t understand that her Papa <em>Needed</em> to cook breakfast quite yet.</p><p>However, Souji Tendou refused to <em>Not</em> make his younger sister breakfast.</p><p><em>Especially</em> as she’d learned to make hotcakes for him during his unavoidable pregnancy cravings, in part so he would ‘rest.’</p><p>(He’d need to put effort into making sure Yu managed to eat Somewhat healthily when she was older, clearly.)</p><p>If he was being honest, the worst part of having an infant child was waiting for her to be able to ingest solids.</p><p>He liked cooking, it was apparently a “Special Interest” for him.</p><p>It wasn’t his fault he apparently “enjoyed cooking too damn much” for most people, as he’d been told by classmates in the past while in school.</p><p>Most people should have a cookbook on them at all times like he did. </p><p>Of course, making food for his sister, and separate food for his daughter sounded appealing.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu was a few months old now, old enough to be taken outside properly, which was fine by him.</p><p>He knew exactly where he would bring her first - well, second. Showing her Tokyo Tower came first, of course.</p>
<hr/><p>The waves crashed against the beach.</p><p>It was a nice day.</p><p>Yu looked out at the water, taking it all in.</p><p>Tendou stroked her hair softly, holding her in his arms and turning her so she could face the ocean.</p><p>“I’m glad you get to see this…” he whispered.</p><p>He would never tell her of the other timeline.</p><p>He would Never tell <em>Anyone</em> of the other timeline, the Original timeline.</p><p>He would never burden anyone with what he knew.</p><p>The duty of carrying those memories would belong solely to him, and him alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>And now we hit Kabuto Proper</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>2006</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“THAT WAS CLOSE! WHY DIDN’T YOU RUN?! HEY!” yelled Kagami.</p><p>“No one can stab me,” said the (very handsome) man in traditional garb, who had Narrowly avoided having his neck slashed by a thief.</p><p>“<em>What</em>?”</p><p>“I will decide the path <em>I</em> walk. And one more thing, if I clumsily dodged… my precious daughter would have been awoken and could have been harmed, or my precious tofu would have crumbled.”</p><p>“<em>Really</em>? Luck Saved you, but it won’t always. If things went wrong you would’ve been Stabbed and orphaned her Anyways!”</p><p>“Don’t mention things like ‘good luck’ around either of us. First of All… Such a Knife Cannot Kill me.” Then, kicking Kagami’s wallet (OH SHIT HIS WALLET), he knocked out the thief with it, and then threw said wallet back to its rightful owner.</p><p>“Who Are you?”</p><p>“My Grandmother said this… ‘Walking the path of heaven… the man who will rule everything.’”</p><p>He paused, and then with a point to the sky - and Tokyo Tower - continued.</p><p>“Souji Tendou.”</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou continued his walk home. That had been par for the course in his life.</p><p>He wasn’t worried about such petty things like being <em>Stabbed</em> after all.</p><p>Not before he found-</p><p>Wait. </p><p>Could that have been…?</p><p>No. It couldn’t have been.</p><p>At the very least, Yu had remained asleep through the other man’s yelling.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami continued to wonder about this the next few hours of his day, because what even the hell <em>was</em> that.</p><p>“-Wait… ‘Walking the path of heaven ruling over all’... Was that some sort of pun on his own name?!”</p>
<hr/><p>“I’m grateful that you cook for me like this, but Yu-chan’s getting bigger… shouldn’t you go to school or get a job?”</p><p>Jyuka watched her older brother smile. (Yu was asleep on the couch. While the baby was hard to get to sleep, or even Find places To sleep, she could sleep through quite a lot when she did.)</p><p>“I’m busy with preparations.”</p><p>“That again? And just what are these preparations for?” she asked as her big brother went to water their Grandmother’s Many plants.</p><p>Neither wanted her to return home to find any of her beloved plants dead, so they took turns dutifully watering them. (Although mostly it was her big brother.)</p><p>“I don’t know either. So… I wait here like this. But… that time will definitely come.”</p><p>He looked back out at her.</p><p>“That’s the only thing I’m sure of.”</p><p>Jyuka wondered if that really was the truth. But… “I don’t really get it. But except when it comes to Yu, Nii-chan, what you say is never wrong? Right?”</p><p>Jyuka didn’t know how to feel about the expression he gave her in response, but, he quickly switched back into “big brother” mode.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou went to train, it was what he did daily. It was the only thing he Could do.</p><p>What would be the use of getting invested in schooling (not that he’d enjoyed his time in compulsory education) or a Career, if he’d have to leave it to save the world?</p><p>Besides, he would already be splitting his time between that and being a father now.</p><p>He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Yu before their lives took them on different paths. (Though he did hope she would choose the path of heaven as she aged. But it was about <em>allowing</em> her the choice in the First place.)</p><p>He checked the baby monitor. Yu remained asleep, which was good. His workout music tended to be metal.</p><p>It was a bit too… intense for her, compared to his cooking playlist.</p>
<hr/><p>Souji Tendou peered at the girl peeking out from around Kagami’s leg. She had shoulder length dark hair, covering an eye.</p><p>“Your… daughter?” he asked, trying to keep the disdain out of his voice for the man who in the original timeline had been his Brother in law.</p><p>The girl at least didn’t <em>look</em> like Hiyori.</p><p>Tendou couldn’t decide if that made things better or worse for him.</p><p>At the very least, it was clear (to him at least) why the man wasn’t worthy of the Gattack Zector yet, let alone <em>Kabuto</em>.</p><p>“Kaoru. I couldn’t afford a babysitter today, and I don’t just Shove My daughter on random people!” Kagami answered in a whispered yell, seeing as Yu was asleep.</p><p>“Yu only sleeps in two situations, in her own crib or against the people in my family. You are the first one outside of it she’s done that with.”</p><p>Much to his absolute dismay right now, in any case.</p><p>But his daughter Did require her sleep, and he wouldn’t take that from her.</p><p>“What really? -HEY!”</p>
<hr/><p>“Yu-chan. I think your father’s a jerk.” muttered Kagami to the baby quietly.</p><p>Yu gave him a nod.</p><p>“…I need more sleep. There is no way she understood that.” he said leaning away.</p><p>Yu sucked at her pacifier and blinked at him.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey so how did Yu… happen, and where is her mother?”</p><p>“I had sex and gave birth to her. Did no one explain the birds and the bees to you?”</p><p>“Wait, <em>you</em> gave <em>birth</em>?”</p><p>Jyuka pipes up from the other side of the room. “Yu-chan has two papas, not that I Know who the other one is, Nii-chan never brought him home.”</p><p>“I have my reasons.”</p><p>“You’re trans…?”</p><p>“Some people are, in fact, transgender, Kagami. Please try to keep up, it’s 2006.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Actually, it’s kind of impressive you’re raising a baby by yourself.”</p><p>Tendou gave him a look.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Yu also has her Aunt.”</p><p>“Isn’t your sister, like, 13? …Granted, I had Ryou and Aino-san’s help, too…”</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey, daddy? Where’s Uncle Ryou?”</p><p>“…He… had to go away again.”</p><p>“Oh… but we were gonna go see baseball…”</p><p>“I know. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“I’m sorry Uncle Ryou went away again. Is daddy going to be okay?”</p><p>“I’ll be okay Kaoru. Now come on, I’ll make your sandwich.”</p><p>Kaoru cheered.</p>
<hr/><p>Stupid Tendou.</p><p>Stupid, way too handsome for his own good, asshole who-</p><p>Kagami felt a tug against his shirt.</p><p>Aw crap, it was Yu. Tendou had handed her to him before he’d gotten mad, and he’d blanked on the fact he was holding her.</p><p>“Ah?” she said.</p><p>“-oh hell.”</p><p>Yu gave him her usual level of sleepy expression.</p><p>“…I’ll bring you back home soon. I just need to calm down. …Besides, he’ll probably come after me.”</p><p>Yu nodded, and went back to sleep.</p>
<hr/><p>“Oh, and you’ll need this.” said Tendou, throwing over a diaper bag that Kagami barely managed to catch. His aim was impressive, considering he was in the middle of being arrested by Zect.</p><p>“…Yeah, I deserved that.” Muttered Kagami.</p>
<hr/><p>“The cute baby!”</p><p>Yu blinked awake.</p><p>“Aw… Kaoru, she was asleep.”</p><p>“Oh no! Sorry!”</p><p>Yu just blinked.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami was still relieved that Yu was not really a fussy child when it came to her needs.</p><p>When she wanted something, she mostly got it across by pointing. (Of Course it was by Pointing, with who her father was.)</p><p>It was a little freaky sometimes, but she was trying her best.</p><p>Now… if only she would <em>sleep</em>.</p><p>“Yu-chan. Please.”</p><p>Yu only blinked</p>
<hr/><p>Time passed.</p><p>Yu continued to not sleep. Her eyes drooped but she remained awake.</p><p>“…Guess he really <em>wasn’t</em> kidding about that part, huh?”</p><p>Yu nodded again.</p><p>“…Well, <em>I</em> need some sleep, so come on, Yu-chan. I’ll hold you.”</p><p>Yu nodded and held up her arms.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu, of course, finally fell asleep against his chest.</p><p>Well, Kagami’d done this with Kaoru plenty of times before.</p><p>At least he could read until he was sure that Yu would remain asleep.</p><p>He heard the door open.</p><p>“ …Oh. I-”</p><p>“Come on in, Kaoru. You can join in. Just… please sleep.”</p><p>Kaoru grinned and climbed onto the bed.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami woke up the next morning, Yu and Kaoru sleeping on and Against him.</p><p>For a few seconds he thought he’d had-</p><p>No. She was dead and gone, Kaoru would be the only child he’d have.</p><p>He’d never really had these moments when she was this small, having been a wreck over his lover’s death.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami had no idea how he’d felt almost rested for once, but he did.</p><p>Which was good as it meant he could make Kaoru’s absolute favorite meal.</p><p>A <em>very</em> complicated sandwich.</p><p>“Alright now where’s-”</p><p>Yu pointed.</p><p>“Yu-chan, that’s not- oh, yes it is. Thank you.”</p><p>Yu nodded again. She liked helping.</p>
<hr/><p>“Alright, Kaoru’s at school. Lets go rescue your dad.”</p><p>Yu gave yet another nod. She didn’t emote much. It reminded him of Hiyori for some reason.</p>
<hr/><p>“…I did not think this through.” muttered Kagami as he got into the ZECTtrooper uniform he’d stolen.</p><p>He could pass off the diaper bag as a generic gym bag, but he had <em>nowhere</em> to hide Yu.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami ended up emptying the gun down to just the external shell. Hopefully he wouldn’t need it.</p>
<hr/><p>“PORK OR CHICKEN?”</p><p>“WAIT DON’T! I-”</p><p>Yu Squealed from inside the gun.</p>
<hr/><p>“I will say nothing of your putting Yu inside the gun if you hand her to me right now.”</p><p>Kagami complied Immediately.</p><p>“Aaa-chaa!” she squealed, smiling for once and reaching out.</p><p>Tendou gave his daughter a very sincere and fond smile in return.</p><p>It was nice, and Kagami had to remind himself he was Straight and really didn’t want to move on. Not yet… </p><p>Reminding himself of that fact that only got harder by meeting Sou Yaguruma soon after.</p>
<hr/><p>“Did you behave?”</p><p>“<em><strike>Yes, Yu behaved. Yu had a nice time with him, Papa’s Friend is comfy like Papa.</strike>”</em></p><p>“We are not friends Yu, but Papa is glad you were able to rest.”</p><p>“<em><strike>Yu still missed Papa lots though.</strike></em>”</p><p>“Papa worried about you too” he said stroking her hair.</p><p>“<em><strike>Papa also bothered People again?</strike>”</em></p><p>“I have my reasons Yu. <em>And</em> I had a decent bowl of pork katsudon. I’ll have to make some for you when you’re older.”</p><p>Yu nodded excitedly as she got herself comfortable.</p>
<hr/><p>Souji Tendou had just returned home from grocery shopping for that night’s meal.</p><p>There was an extra person here.</p><p>It was Kagami’s daughter, Kaoru.</p><p>She hid behind the couch, not used to him.</p><p>Or she was aware of his disdain for her fool of a father… Children could be perceptive like that.</p><p>“Sorry Onii-chan. Her dad’s late today.”</p><p>But still, children <em>were</em> to be treasured, and the girl was potentially his niece in law.</p><p>“That’s fine. Does she like Mackerel?”</p><p>“Well she’s kind of picky-”</p><p>“I hate it… Want my sandwich/” said the child.</p><p>“Ah, I see.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Daddy! Tendou-san’s the coolest, you gotta marry him, so I can have <em>TWO</em> dads!”</p><p>Being Arata Kagami was suffering. He had No idea what brought <em>this</em> on for Kaoru, but he really didn’t need it right now. <em>And</em> he was <em>still</em> stuck holding Yu, even though her dad’s rider form HAD <em>ARMORED PROTECTION</em> FOR <em><strong>EXACTLY THIS</strong></em>.</p><p>“Kaga!” </p><p>Okay. This wasn’t That bad.</p>
<hr/><p>“Kaga!”</p><p>“Hi Yu-chan- Wait, is that my name?!”</p><p>“Kaga!!”</p><p>“She seems to have picked it up.”</p><p>Kagami, naturally, went and cooed over the baby.</p><p>(Especially as she was much less mean than her father.)</p><p>Misaki quickly left to avoid spending another night having to hear all about Tendou’s child.</p>
<hr/><p>It turned out that what had happened with Kaoru was:</p><p>Finally, someone who Wasn’t her daddy had been able to make her favorite (and needlessly complex if you asked around) sandwich.</p><p>Being a Very picky eater, she appreciated that, enough to at least <em>try</em> his cooking.</p><p>Which was also very good.</p><p>She’d happily eat it again and again.</p><p>And that’s the sort of thing a parent did, at least if you asked Kaoru. <em>And,</em> if Tendou-san and her daddy got married, then she’d get a baby sister out of it in Yu-chan too.</p>
<hr/><p>“Baa-Chan!”</p><p>Yu said this while pointing at him.</p><p>Well, then. Tendou supposed that was fair enough. He quoted Grandmother quite frequently, after all. She’d learn ‘Papa’ eventually.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hi Tendou-san… Sorry I come by so much.”</p><p>It was Kaoru, her father (<em>his brother in law</em>)  having dropped off the barely awake child <em>yet again</em>.</p><p>“I brought the newspaper with me, cause I know you like it, ‘m sorry I borrow the crosswords and the comics.”</p><p>…Well, she wasn’t a bad child. And it was good for Jyuka to be responsible, and earn money of her own, he supposed.</p><p>-Maybe he should look into performing weddings occasionally. He <em>was</em> ordained after all. (Yes, it was via an online method, but he could, in fact, marry people legally.)</p>
<hr/><p>Yu Tendou may have been only six or so months old, but she knew one thing.</p><p>Baa-chan didn’t understand people in the <em>slightest</em>, outside of Auntie Jyuka.</p>
<hr/><p>“I’ll work with Zect on one condtion.”</p><p>“And that is…?”</p><p>“I require someone to hold my daughter while I fight.”</p><p>“<em>What</em>.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Kaga!”</p><p>Souji Tendou was the man who walked the path of heaven, and yet for the life of him, he could Not figure out <em>Why</em> his daughter liked Kagami the best, even if he Was an interesting fellow (And his <em>Brother in Law</em>, he reminded himself.)</p><p>Yu gave him a look, still referring to him as Baa-chan.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, do You have any idea what the fuck ‘<em>work is as sticky as Natto</em>’ means?”</p><p>“Not a clue.”</p><p>The baby looked at the two basically nameless grunts, as she sucked on her pacifier.</p><p>“And why are we babysitting anyways?”</p><p>“I mean, compared to our Last two captains? I’d rather the guy with the well behaved kid and the Really obvious fake names be the guy in charge of us now. Hopefully <em>he</em> won’t use us as <em>bait</em>, or give up the Zector like the guy before him did.”</p><p>“Didn’t the last guy do that for this one?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think so. This has been a <em>weird</em> fucking year so far, huh?”</p><p>“Really has.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Hi, Tendou-san!”</p><p>“Has your father realized your babysitter is my sister yet?”</p><p>“Nope” said Kaoru, who snagged another potato</p><p>“So, you enjoy Potatoes.”</p><p>“Yeah. Can you stop being mean about my daddy? He’s the only daddy I’ve Got.”</p><p>“…I’ll see.”</p>
<hr/><p>Well, if picking up Kagami’s confidence would get him back to normal, then letting Kagami think he killed a worm by himself would be simple.</p><p>The things he was willing to do, even if Kagami <em>Did</em> interest him. And he <em>had</em> promised Kaoru, after all.</p><p>‘<em>He still isn’t worthy of Hiyori</em>,’ Tendou tried to convince himself.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, did you hear Kageyama’s our captain again?”</p><p>“What?! Really?!”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“<em>Goddamnit.</em>”</p>
<hr/><p>‘<em>Yu is pretty sure Baa-chan isn’t dead…</em>’ thought Yu to herself, while she was carried by Daisuke Kazama, Kamen Rider Drake.</p><p>And even <em>then</em>, he’d only done it to help Gon-chan. So, she could behave. Still couldn’t sleep though.</p><p>Not outside of her own crib, or Baa-chan’s, or Great Grandmother’s, or Auntie Jyuka’s arms. The only other places she could really sleep were while she was held by Kaga or Hiyori-san.</p><p>She liked them both. They were nice.</p>
<hr/><p>As it turned out, Baa-chan was in fact Not dead, and everyone was going to go Rescue Gon-chan.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu was fussing. It happened, babies were like that.</p><p>“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, but does Yu have any toys or anything?” asked Kagami, wanting to distract the baby from her discomfort.</p><p>“She does.” Said Tendou simply, handing Yu over to Kagami</p><p>“Then why haven’t I seen her with any?” said Kagami rapidly shifting Yu in his arms, and trying to soothe her.</p><p>“She worries that she’ll lose them, and she prefers to watch what’s going on in the world around her, anyways,” said Tendou taking a doll out of the pocket in his pants. (It was a plushie of Cure Black, but Kagami didn’t know this yet.)</p><p>Yu squealed happily, and hugged the doll tightly. Seeing her express emotion was still somewhat shocking. The girl mostly tended to just stare, with a similar expression to her father. (Or she glared. She could do a <em>very</em> good glare.)</p><p>-Hang on a second. “Wait, <em>how</em> do you know that she worries about that?”</p><p>Tendou gave him a look. “She’s my beloved daughter, how could I <em>not </em>understand her needs?”</p>
<hr/><p>“Daddy, Can I have a rolled omelette?”</p><p>“That’s new.”</p><p>“Had it last time I went to the babysitters. It was really good.”</p><p>“Well, aren’t <em>you</em> branching out!” said Kagami, happy that Kaoru was expanding her tastes in food. </p><p>(It was also somewhat of a relief. As much as he was willing to make her sandwich request, it was still something that most people didn’t really like to put in the effort for.)</p><p>“Oh, and next time you take me to work with you, can I have the Mackerel Miso?”</p><p>“When did you start eating that?”</p><p>“A while ago, babysitter’s big brother said Hiyori-san’s is better than his.”</p><p>…Wait a minute.</p><p>Kagami shook his head. He’d unpack that thought later. </p><p>(He would not, in fact, unpack that later. He <em>Really</em> should have taken fewer late shifts, especially ones where he wasn’t combing over Hours and Hours of footage for worms.)</p>
<hr/><p>“Hi, Yu-chan.”</p><p>“Kagaaa!”</p><p>“Alright, come here. I’ll look after you while your dad… ‘faces off’ with that guy.”</p><p>Yu smiled.</p><p>“Yay!” Cheered Kaoru.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu didn’t know much, but she knew this: Adults were <em>Weird</em>.</p><p>Turning to phantom thievery in order to lure a worm out was a <em>new</em> one, to say the least.</p>
<hr/><p>She also didn’t know why she’d been brought along for piano lessons. But Kaga Was quite busy.</p><p>She missed Kaoru.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>A worm that abuses the trust between people… …I will Never Forgive that</em>!”</p><p>“<em>HENSHIN</em>!”</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Stop it, Mister! Don’t Destroy me! If you destroy me, Makoto’s memories will be gone too.</em>”</p><p>Tendou, of course, picked Now to show up.</p><p>“<em>K-Kabuto</em>?”</p><p>“<em>Move, I’ll finish it</em>.” he said.</p><p>“<em>Mister, Save me</em>!”</p><p>“<em>Stop, Tendou</em>!” said Kagami. (If you asked Tendou, he was clearly giving into what the worm clearly wanted.)</p><p>“<em>Hey, you, Kagami</em>?”</p><p>“<em>Please leave this to me</em>.”</p><p>Tendou sighed. “<em>Very well</em>” </p><p>“<em>Cast off</em>!”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>CAST OFF</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>CHANGE STAG BEETLE</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>“<em>Clock up</em>!”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>CLOCK UP</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Mister… You aren’t really gonna…</em>”</p><p>With a yell, and while likely crying under the helmet, Kagami made a hole in the roof.</p><p>“<em>There’s something i wanted you to see.</em>”</p><p>…It was the rainbow made of moonlight “Makoto” had mentioned that he had wanted to see.</p><p>Kagami went to bring him his kaleidoscope.</p><p>“<em>I won’t be responsible for what happens… Mister.</em>”</p>
<hr/><p>Kabuto and Gattack stood in the flaming rubble, Gattack holding the Kaleidoscope.</p><p>“<em>Naive… as Usual.</em>”</p><p>“<em>I… can only be myself. But… I Am myself</em>.”</p><p>Kabuto turned to look at Gattack as the flames continued to burn.</p><p>And for Kabuto, his feelings changed.</p>
<hr/><p>Arata Kagami had just picked up Kaoru from her sitter’s. He was absolutely drained, as always. He was lucky he could at least remember How to get there. -Could have sworn it looked familiar.</p><p>He felt more exhausted than usual.</p><p>But becoming a rider and watching a six year old die to save your life left an impact, even if said six year old was technically a worm mimicking them.</p><p>“Dad. Are you okay?”</p><p>When had Kaoru started calling him dad?</p><p>His hand began shaking.</p><p>Falling to his knees on the sidewalk, he pulled her into a long hug.</p>
<hr/><p>Kaoru Kagami wasn’t in the loop much on her Dad’s Non-restaurant job. (She Liked La Salle, Hiyori-san also had cool bug art.)</p><p>But she knew when her dad was upset.</p><p>All she could do was return the hug.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami had no idea how he got into these situations, but he’d ended up with an extra ticket for the baseball game. Oda had cancelled on him, of course. Again.</p><p>“I’ll go!”</p><p>“Kaoru, you already have a ticket.”</p><p>“Wait, I get to go?!”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Kaoru squealed happily.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hiyori, I have-”</p><p>“No” Hiyori simply turned away and walked back into the kitchen.</p><p>“Baseball again?” said Tendou, having what he called his ‘coffee time’.</p>
<hr/><p>“Look, you wouldn’t like it at all-”</p><p>“How dare you imply I don’t enjoy sports.”</p><p>Kagami looked to Hiyori for help, but she’d long since bailed on this conversation.</p><p>At that point, Kagami remembered the hours he and Hiyori had spent watching Tendou and Tsurugi try to one up each other at numerous different sports.</p><p>(Hey, it wasn’t his fault none of those sports had been baseball!)</p>
<hr/><p>“Look, you have a Baby. She’s not going to enjoy it.”</p><p>“Yu did fine the last time. And after all, you’re bringing Kaoru.”</p><p>“…Okay, fair. I did bring her to games as a baby… And Yu did stay partially invested that time.”</p><p>“Then it will be fine.”</p>
<hr/><p>It was going surprisingly fine.</p><p>Yu could, and <em>would</em>, sleep through anything after all.</p><p>And then… </p><p>“Hey Dad, where’d the ball go?” said Kaoru, who had one working eye, and thus a massive blind spot and no depth perception.</p><p>Without thinking about it, Tendou grabbed the child out of the way, as Kagami reached out rapidly to catch the ball.</p><p>Dangling upside down, Kaoru cheered.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, where <em>Is</em> Kaoru’s mother?”</p><p>Kagami was knocked off guard, as tended to happen around Tendou. </p><p>This was also the first time he’d asked about… about Kaoru’s mother.</p><p>Kagami looked away.</p><p>“She… She died four years ago. Kaoru never got to meet her. …It… wasn’t because of a worm, not like with Ryou.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.” said Tendou, who <em>rarely</em> apologized for anything.</p><p>He sounded ashamed for some reason.</p>
<hr/><p>“It’s fine, Onii-chan, Yu can’t even crawl yet. The girls and I will take good care of her.”</p><p>Tendou nodded.</p><p>“Have fun, Onii-chan!” said Jyuka.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu was up in the middle of the night, being a baby with a weird sleep schedule.</p><p>She looked around and heard no one at home.</p><p>Well, that wouldn’t do. She’d just have to go find someone.</p><p>She had few ideas for where they might be, anyways.</p><p>Yu looked at one of the bears Auntie Jyuka had given her to cuddle with for the night, a fairly large one.</p><p>She tossed it onto the floor.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu bounced onto the bear, landing softly, and ignoring how a different bear, one on the shelf, let out a small squeak.</p><p>Okay, she was out of the crib.</p><p>Now what?</p><p>She hadn’t managed crawling quite yet… It was hard when you got sleepy as much as she did.</p><p>Well, she had to work it out sooner or later.</p>
<hr/><p>“…Somehow, I didn’t take you for actually being a metal fan.”</p><p>Kagami was only actually able to be at this concert because Oda’s schedule had changed, so he’d given Kagami his non refundable ticket. Kagami did Not make Good Money in the Slightest, and couldn’t have gotten it otherwise.</p><p>“Tell No one.” Tendou glowered.</p><p>“I mean, I like this band too-“</p><p>“No. One.”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>~Oh you tragic butterfly</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Despairing, craving it, that singular last</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ray of light still shining down on bitter wings~</em>
</p><p>Of course, their conversation eventually turned to their daughters.</p><p>Being fathers was one of the few things they had in common.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>~Stir hell's cauldron, hot pot party!~</em>
</p><p>“I can’t believe this song was popular enough to play liv-” said Kagami before Tendou covered his mouth with his hand.</p><p>Kagami said nothing, suddenly understanding why Tendou had been drawn to this band.</p>
<hr/><p>“You know, if we’re going to keep spending time together like this, maybe we should actually try to <em>plan</em> something.”</p><p>“That would require us to be friends.”</p><p>“Tend- Is that Yu?!”</p><p>Tendou immediately moved to catch Yu as she was falling from midair.</p><p>“Baa-chan!” she chimed happily.</p><p>Tendou pat her hair softly, checking her over for injuries- only to notice how dirty her clothes had gotten.</p><p>Yu smiled and babbled something at him, happy to see him.</p><p>“I’ll be right back.” said Tendou to his daughter, before handing her to Kagami.</p><p>“Kaga!”</p><p>“What- TENDOU!” Kagami yelled as Tendou transformed and ran off.</p>
<hr/><p>The monster exploded.</p><p>“Onii-chan, we had it covered!” said Cure Hotto, stomping her foot.</p><p>“That would be understandable,” said Tendou not bringing up his sister’s ‘extracurricular activities’, as was the way with this family. “However, <em>why</em> was Yu brought with you and your friends, Jyuka?” said Tendou looking at his sister’s friends, who were in similar frilly outfits to hers.</p><p>“We <em>didn’t</em> bring her! We even made sure that someone was watching her.”</p><p>“Then <em>how</em> did she <em>get</em>here?”</p><p>“…So, it turns out Yu-chan learned how to Crawl.”</p><p>“Across city blocks?”</p><p>“WE’RE SURPRISED, TOO!”</p>
<hr/><p>“Tendou, what was that about?”</p><p>Ignoring Kagami’s question, Tendou picked up Yu. “When did you learn to crawl?”</p><p>Yu looked thoughtful before babbling.</p><p>“Another first I seem to have missed.”</p><p>Yu only smiled.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, I guess I’ll see you the next time worms show up” began Kagami, before Tendou cut him off.</p><p>“Absolutely not.”</p><p>“Uh-”</p><p>“There was no food at that concert. I’ll make you something to eat, so you won’t be dead on your feet tomorrow.”</p><p>Kagami tried to say no, but quickly realized he had no choice in the matter.</p><p>Especially not with Yu looking delighted by the idea of Kagami being at their home.</p>
<hr/><p>“Tendou-san. Do you think my daddy loves me…? Cause I don’t think he does, cause he’s gone so much…”</p><p>“Your father loves you very much. He speaks of you often.”</p><p>“Really?!” said Kaoru, perking right up.</p><p>“Just because he cannot be with you, does not mean he does not care for you.”</p><p>It was the truth, after all. Tendou had heard Kagami talk of his daughter fairly often.</p><p>Now… if only he’d realize he’d been leaving his daughter <em>here</em> while he worked.</p><p>“I mean, I guess at least I get to see you and Jyuka-san. And I get to eat your cooking!” she said happily.</p><p>Well, it wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy her company nowadays. She was a good girl after all.</p><p>Tendou decided he would just wait and see <em>when</em> Kagami would catch on.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey, Tendou, how come you always do a roundhouse kick? We can jump really well when we’re transformed like this. The flying kicks are pretty cool.”</p><p>Tendou said nothing, and instead just looked at Kagami from under the mask. Probably looking at him like he was an idiot.</p><p>(He’d been training for this for <em>years</em>, after all. Roundhouse kicks were all he <em>could</em> practice on the punching bags, and he was not about to let that go to waste.)</p>
<hr/><p>Yu Tendou was worried. Things had been getting more intense lately, and… well, she’d been left in enough strange places. Like with that Tsurugi guy.</p><p>He was nice and all, but he kept trying to challenge Baa-chan to things.</p><p>And the worms were only getting stronger, and now Kaga was a rider too.</p><p>She couldn’t sleep, not at home. Not ‘til all this was over.</p>
<hr/><p>Souji Tendou knew something was wrong. He was an attentive parent, after all, and Children were to be treasured.</p><p>“Alright, I'll bring you again, but this isn’t how one walks the path of heaven.”</p><p>Yu relaxed, but refused to stop clinging to his shirt.</p><p>(Trying to pry her off wouldn’t have done any good. She had a <em>very</em> strong grip, and he didn’t want to have to go change because of a torn shirt. …Again.)</p>
<hr/><p>“Why are you bringing Yu to Shibuya?!”</p><p>“…Her sleeping has gotten more fitful lately.”</p><p>“That’s babies for you-”</p><p>“Her usual places aren’t working. And if she Isn’t comfortable enough to sleep, she simply Won’t.” Tendou sighed, holding Yu closer. “It isn’t very heavenly of her, but she’s my only daughter.”</p><p>“Papa” said Yu.</p><p>A beat passed.</p><p>“She used <em>Papa</em>…” said Tendou sounding more emotional than he usually did, and knowing he’d made the right choice bringing her.</p><p>Another beat passed.</p><p><em>‘IS TENDOU CRYING?!’</em> thought Kagami.</p><p><em>‘HE HAS </em>OTHER<em> EMOTIONS?!’</em> thought Hiyori.</p><p>Yu, for her part, only relaxed, and got comfortable against her dad’s chest.</p>
<hr/><p>“I wanna try!”</p><p>“Kaoru, no-”</p><p>She then set about tasting the mapo tofu the other man had made.</p><p>She didn’t react for a moment, before sticking her tongue out in disgust and pushing the plate away.</p><p>Well, at least <em>Someone</em> here had good taste, today.</p>
<hr/><p>“Mister, you’re dumb, I Like how Tendou-san made his tofu!” she said, still eating <em>Tendou’s</em> mapo tofu.</p><p>“Thank you, Kaoru.”</p><p>“Can I have this again?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>The other chef scoffed. “What do <em>You </em>know or matter? You’re a child.”</p><p>Tendou glared. “Even a child can tell how you don’t understand tofu.”</p>
<hr/><p>The incident with the guy and his evil magic knife had thankfully been less stressful than a lot of things lately, thought Yu to herself, relieved.</p><p>She was small and couldn’t handle all of this stress.</p><p>She was a little worried by how Papa had gone non responsive while moving from the cooking arena to the stadium, though… </p><p>Yu wondered if maybe Papa could use a nap.</p><p>Actually,</p><p>Now that Yu thought about it, had she <em>ever</em> seen Papa sleep or been woken up from sleep before?</p>
<hr/><p>Oh god Tsurugi was a worm. He was a worm. -And oh god he’d apparently had some sort of sexual encounter with Tendou the Same night Yu was made. -As had another man, as Tendou had randomly told him some time prior. Because Tendou was like that.</p><p>Being Kagami was Absolutely Suffering. He wasn’t a praying man, but he <em>really</em> hoped Yu wasn’t half worm.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu sat quietly. (Well, okay, she was propped up.)</p><p>It had been. A quite frankly wild day. She’d learned Hiyori-san was her aunt. Sort of.</p><p>Because she was the worm counterpart of Papa’s unborn sister. …If she had that story right.</p><p>Then Hiyori-san went missing.</p><p>And Papa was currently grieving over it.</p><p>Yu had never really seen her father cry. -Or really have much in the way of expressions like other people when he wasn’t around Auntie Jyuka.</p><p>She didn’t mind it. But it hurt to see Papa crying.</p><p>But there wasn’t much she could do. As she was very small.</p><p>She was lucky she could speak a little in a way that most adults could understand.</p>
<hr/><p>Eventually papa got up, and left La Salle with her.</p><p>She did what she could, and snuggled against him.</p><p>“<strike>Papa and Kaga’ll save Hiyori-san. Yu knows they will. Yu is sorry papa is sad, Yu misses Hiyori too.</strike>” she said. Hoping papa could in fact understand her. He was usually quite good at it compared to the other adults in her life.</p><p>“You’re quite wise for one so young.” said Papa. “…And I'll do my best to save Hiyori. I am the man who walks the path of heaven, after all.”</p><p>Yu nodded.</p>
<hr/><p>The dna test that Kagami had done in secret was in. </p><p>(How Tendou didn’t catch on was a Miracle, and Arata Kagami was fairly certain he’d used up all his good luck for this year.)</p><p>Yu was thankfully <em>Not</em> Tsurugi Kamishiro’s daughter.</p>
<hr/><p>Papa joining Zect Again. Was. Definitely something. That was the conclusion Yu had come to, at least, not entirely understanding at the moment what her father’s plans were.</p><p>She kept Missing important things, and she didn’t like that.</p><p>Papa still not seeming to sleep didn’t help either.</p><p>(unbeknownst to Yu, Souji Tendou <em>did</em> actually sleep, but it <em>really </em>was not enough at all)</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou loved being flat chested. Top surgery had been one of the best decisions in his life. It meant that now he could wear all the low cut tops he wanted without people staring at his cleavage. Or misgendering him.</p>
<hr/><p>…Yu was fairly certain that this was her papa’s way of trying to get what Auntie Jyuka called a ‘date,’ considering Kaga was one of two or three people who made it this far in the ‘training course.’</p><p>Unfortunately, she was also fairly sure this wasn’t how one went about that, going by what Auntie Jyuka had said.</p><p>It was sad, Yu liked Kaga very much. And maybe if he and Papa were together, then Papa could sleep, and Kaoru could see Kaga.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu clung to Kaga- no, wait, KagaMi. She’d missed him. And things tended to be… <em>less</em> confusing around him.</p><p>And Papa was apparently having two jobs as well, now. And she kept waking up to even more confusion.</p><p>She needed a break.</p><p>Especially since Papa’s plan to save Hiyori-san was to destroy Zect by eliminating all Riders beside himself.</p><p>She got <em>why</em> he was doing that, but also… </p><p>She was very small and very tired.</p>
<hr/><p>-Wait that list of ‘all Riders’ included Kagami, didn’t it?</p><p>She began fussing, as he and Papa fought over said plan.</p><p>Why was papa like this?</p><p>This day was weird enough as is. And she was getting upset.</p>
<hr/><p>Yaguruma was back. And suddenly something clicked for Souji Tendou.</p><p><em>He</em> was the <em>other</em> person he’d had sex with that night.</p><p>And if he had the timing right… Yaguruma was also the one the condom had broken with.</p><p>He’d been right, both men would have <em>indeed</em> been <em>terrible</em> fathers.</p><p>“Don’t be influenced by him, Yu.” said Tendou patting her head.</p><p>Yu nodded.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu was fairly certain that Papa was going to fight Mishima for saying that “deliciousness was a sin.”</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou was very much going to kick his ass for more than just that. But Especially that.</p><p>His desire to do so only increased after learning about the Hyper Zector being with Mishima, and needing it to save Hiyori.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou would absolutely have ALL the sisters, or so help him.</p><p>Yu gave him a look, but approved. She liked having aunts. -And she couldn’t comprehend not eating properly for Seven Years.</p><p>(Granted, Yu was only Just over a single year old by now, but it was the thought that counted, right?)</p>
<hr/><p>“So why does Yu-chan get to stay near you while you cook?”</p><p>“Because she’s my beloved daughter.” Tendou gave Renge a serious look, and she backed up.</p><p>Yu smiled happily and snuggled against the back of his shoulder.</p>
<hr/><p>One minute, Yu was absorbed into the Kabuto suit. The next, she was falling out of it and hitting the ground.</p><p>She wailed from the pain.</p><p>“Tendou, <em><strong>WHAT THE FU-</strong></em>”</p><p>There was no response. Only a berserker rage.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>When I went out of control before… …you did a good job stopping me. I’m Grateful.</em>”</p><p>“<em>Stop it. That’s not like you.</em>”</p><p>“<em>I’m going to give back all the Zectors I’ve collected. The only who can stop a beserk Rider… is a Rider.</em>” said Tendou getting up.</p><p>“<em>Promise me… If I ever go berserk and try to kill Hiyori… …You will kill me. However… If the situation is reversed, I will kill you</em>.” continued Tendou, standing up again, holding out a hand to Kagami.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou and Kagami stayed in the field a little while longer… and then they realized.</p><p>Oh fuck, they’d forgotten Yu in all of the chaos.</p><p>Both immediately took off for where they’d last seen her.</p>
<hr/><p>Renge was currently trying and failing to calm the baby down, having been led here by TheBee Zector, of all things.</p><p>Thankfully, she hadn’t hit the ground headfirst. But she was only 14 months old. And the fall had <em>Hurt</em>.</p><p>And then things had escalated and everyone had gotten distracted from picking up the baby.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu glared at Papa.</p><p>“I <em>wasn’t</em> the one who ejected you.”</p><p>“<em><strike>Papa and Kagami forgot Yu though</strike></em>.” </p><p>“I know. We’re <em>both</em> sorry.”</p><p>“<em><strike>Don’t do that to Yu again Papa.</strike></em>”</p><p>Papa went quiet.</p><p>“I promise.”</p>
<hr/><p>Renge listened to Yu babble to Master.</p><p>He nodded along in seeming understanding to the baby and answered. “Yes that would be good, Yu.”</p><p>“So, can you <em>actually</em> understand her. Master?”</p><p>“Easily. What kind of father would I be if I couldn’t?”</p>
<hr/><p>Somehow the fact that Tendou could, in fact, understand baby speech was the Least weird thing Kagami had learned about the other man.</p><p>It was still a little odd though.</p><p>…That would have been an incredibly useful skill to have had while Kaoru was an infant.</p><p>“She wants you to hold her.” Said Tendou, right before depositing Yu into Kagami’s arms.</p><p>He sighed in annoyance, but it was lesser than it had been in the past.</p><p>Yu snuggling against him helped.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu dropped off to sleep fairly easily after that.</p><p>“…If you have to kill me, I want you to take care of Yu.”</p><p>“Tendou-”</p><p>“I trust you with her. And she seems to <em>Adore</em> you.”</p><p>Kagami went quiet, holding Yu closer.</p><p>He broke the silence minutes later.</p><p>“If… if… if it happens to me… Look after Kaoru for me. I think she likes you better than she likes my dad or my father-in-law.”</p>
<hr/><p>Thankfully the next two weeks were much less stressful comparatively.</p><p>Though, hell have mercy on any future teachers for Yu Tendou.</p><p>Her father would Not take them being mean to her well.</p>
<hr/><p>Kaoru Kagami stared at the adults around her, Misaki declaring that her and her dad were dating.</p><p>She puffed her cheeks, this was <em>unfair</em>! She wanted <em>Tendou-san</em> to be her other parent!</p>
<hr/><p>Yu, meanwhile, had enjoyed the comparatively lighter events.</p><p>And then the worms had gotten involved.</p><p>And Papa had picked up the meteor fragment.</p><p>It felt like it was throwing both of them into another world.</p><p>Oh!</p><p>“<em><strike>Hiyori!!, Hiyori!!</strike></em>” Yu yelled while encased in the suit.</p><p>And then, Papa was Also there??</p><p>Wait, that wasn’t right. <em>She</em> was <em>With</em> Papa.</p><p>And then the Other Papa transformed into A Different Kamen Rider Kabuto.</p><p>The following fight ended with both Kabutos rider kicking one another… and Papa being the weaker of the two.</p><p>They were thrown back to the garage they’d been in before.</p><p>Tendou hit the ground, <em>hard</em>, as he de-transformed and the Kabuto Zector flew off.</p><p>“Tendou! Yu! What Happened?! Are you alright?!” Yelled Kagami, booking it over to them.</p><p>“I saw Hiyori.” Was all Tendou said to Kagami, having an emotion over again having failed to save his sister.</p><p>Yu looked at Kagami, not knowing what to say.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou didn’t know Why he felt oddly jealous at the idea of Kagami being in a relationship, even if it Was a Very clearly faked relationship. </p><p>All he knew was that he did.</p><p>But it didn’t matter right now.</p><p>There were more important things to focus on.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>I’m Coming, I’m Coming-</em>”</p><p>Kagami had been woken up at a very, <em>Very </em>early hour.</p><p>A sleeping Yu, and a diaper bag were shoved into his arms.</p><p>“I’ll be back.”</p><p>And that was all Tendou said before leaving.</p><p>Kagami looked at Yu, still half asleep, and went back to bed, doing his best to make sure she’d at least be comfortable.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu had an Incredible grip, especially when she felt anxious. </p><p>Kagami could relate, but he Really didn’t need to have to deal with her while working to evacuate people.</p><p>Still, at least she stayed quiet and well behaved.</p><p>Thankfully, Kaoru was at school, <em>well</em> away from here.</p>
<hr/><p>“Kagami.”</p><p>“Trust me, I’ve tried. This is just going to rip my shirt or jacket. …Again.”</p><p>“I know she likes you but you can’t-” Misaki went quiet as she continued to try to free Yu from Kagami. The toddler refused to let go, her grip absurdly strong.</p><p>Tadoroko sighed.</p><p>“Just… give her some headphones. And a pacifier.”</p><p>Kagami nodded.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami went to go speak to his father, he’d just learned that All this time, the man had not just been the police commissioner, he’d also been Head of Zect.</p><p>He wouldn’t let anyone stop him.</p><p>Yu also still refused to be handed off.</p><p>“<em><strike>Because Yu is Still Worried about Kagami, Yu wants to make sure Kagami is okay. Kagami’s Papa is scary.</strike></em>” She babbled, her expression serious.</p><p><em>Wait-</em> he’d <em>understood</em>that. </p><p>He looked at Yu, who continued to hold onto his suit.</p><p>Her eyes determined.</p><p>“Okay, I can see why Tendou’s been bringing you everywhere. Well, beyond that grip of yours. …Just don’t be mad if I have to throw you to keep you safe.”</p><p>Yu nodded.</p>
<hr/><p>He didn’t even have the Chance to throw her to safety, as he was forced to the ground and handcuffed by a group of cops, after he’d yelled at his father for answers.</p><p>Kagami was also kicked in the head to knock him out.</p><p>Mishima picked Yu up, holding her by her neck as she fussed anxiously.</p><p>Riku Kagami quickly took her. </p><p>“I have <em>Some</em> standards, Mishima.”</p><p>The other man only stared.</p><p>Yu began wailing and fussing loudly, and squirming to get free, not that she was strong enough quite yet.</p><p>“<em><strong>Kagami! Kagami!” </strong></em>Yelling Arata Kagami’s surname.</p>
<hr/><p>Arata Kagami woke up, his jacket was off and he was in a chair now, in an office.</p><p>-OH <em><strong>SHIT</strong></em>, YU.</p><p>The toddler was thankfully unharmed, being held by his father. But she was clearly struggling- and somehow soundlessly wailing.</p><p>-Oh, wait. Not Soundlessly, she’d just hurt her Throat.</p><p>Kagami Immediately took the toddler back.</p><p>She calmed down, her face red from crying and wailing as she sniffled.</p><p>“<em>Oh thank god, she cried All night.</em>” muttered Riku Kagami.</p><p>Kagami then learned that Zect had made contact with the Natives 35 years ago. Said Natives had made the Masked Rider system as a way for humanity to protect Them from the Worms.</p><p>His father also acknowledged that Kagami had been Destined to become Gattack.</p><p>…Which lead to very, <em>Very</em> worrying implications for Arata Kagami, with regards to why he’d been born in the first place.</p><p>“…and if You cannot, then Kaoru will have to fight.”</p><p>Arata Kagami went quiet, his fists trembling.</p><p>“…Did you <em>Know</em> about <em>Hinata.</em>”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“DID <em>YOU</em> <em><strong>KNOW</strong>?!</em>”</p><p>But there was still no answer from his father.</p><p>Kagami stormed off, taking Yu with him.</p><p>He tried not to cry more than he already had been during the conversation.</p>
<hr/><p>“Mishima, did you have my granddaughter’s mother killed?”</p><p>Mishima gave no response.</p>
<hr/><p>“And Yu’s lost her Voice <em>How</em>?”</p><p>“I went to talk to my father…” Kagami trailed off. Clearly, whatever they’d spoken of hadn’t been good.</p><p>“…keep Yu with you. She seems more worried about you at the moment.”</p>
<hr/><p>Learning that his own father had created the ‘red shoes’ part of his powers was quite a revelation.</p><p>Souji Tendou would <em>Never</em> forgive Riku Kagami.</p><p><em>Arata</em> Kagami, however, he did not hold a grudge against.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em><strike>Papa, Yu is worried about Kagami, can Yu stay with him, Yu is sorry Yu won’t be there for Hiyori, but Yu knows Papa will be okay.</strike></em>” Babbled Yu, her voice still hoarse.</p><p>Tendou gave her a quick nod and handed her back over to Kagami.</p><p>“…I’ll keep her safe, Tendou” said Kagami. </p><p>As much as he didn’t trust Zect right now… He still owed it to Misaki and Tadokoro.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami sent Kaoru to stay with her maternal grandfather.</p><p>It had been a hard choice.</p><p>But things had only gotten more and more hectic, and he felt like there were fewer and fewer people around who he could properly trust, and he <em>Really</em> couldn’t keep affording a babysitter with his… lack of payment. He refused to have her nearby, where she could get hurt.</p><p>Being Arata Kagami was suffering.</p><p>Yu snuggled against him.</p><p>It was a good thing she’d been with <em>him</em> when Tendou had been forced out of Hyper Kabuto and launched into the water.</p><p>…Besides… Kaoru would understand why he’d had to send her away… eventually… Right?</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami Violently refused to negotiate for ZECT.</p><p>“<em>If you wish to defy the organization’s decisions, then quit.</em>” Said Mishima.</p><p>Kagami Slammed his belt on the table, and stormed off, Yu in a baby carrier on his back.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami ended up going to pitch baseballs and angst. </p><p>He remembered all the time he’d spent with Tadokoro and Misaki, and how in all that time the man hadn’t trusted them enough to Tell them he was a Native.</p><p>Remembered how the natives were going to just force them to give up the anti worm bomb To the worms.</p><p>How his father was just their puppet.</p><p>He kept Pitching the ball, keeping an eye out to make sure Yu was still safely there. He’d learned early on it was safe to move her once she was asleep. She was still picky when it came to actually <em>falling</em> asleep, though.</p><p>He saw a father and son together playing catch.</p><p>Frustrated, he picked up the ball and hurled it at the wall.</p><p>Tendou hit it back to him.</p><p>Kagami stared back at him.</p><p>“<em>I heard from Renge. Why didn’t you accept the ball your father pitched?</em>”</p><p>Kagami Very much did Not want to be having this conversation.</p><p>“<em>He’s following the Natives Orders and giving them the Anti Mimic Bomb</em>. …And I think he had Hi- …Kaoru’s mother Killed! <em>How can I Listen to such a person</em>!?” Kagami yelled, pitching again.</p><p>Tendou lightly hit the ball, holding the bat one-handed. His other hand was occupied, balancing a bowl of tofu.</p><p>Heaven help anyone who tried to fuck with Souji Tendou and the food he was interested in.</p><p>He dropped the bat and caught the ball.</p><p>“<em>Then why did they choose You to be the negotiator? Do you think it was because you’d make the mistake of handing it over? If it’s someone that knows you well… then I don’t think so.</em>” said Tendou.</p><p>“<em>Then</em>…” began Kagami.</p><p>“<em>Your father’s feelings… …you should catch them” </em>said Tendou, tossing the ball to him, and starting to walk off.</p>
<hr/><p>Earlier, Tendou was on his way home with tofu, as was the Souji Tendou way.</p><p>“TENDOU-SAN! TENDOU-SAN!” Yelled a young girl. She was in a kindergarten uniform, and had on a red randoseru backpack.</p><p>Hm. It had been a while since someone had recognized him on sight.</p><p>-Wait, no, that was <em>Kaoru</em>.</p><p>She quickly ran and hid behind his leg.</p><p>Members of Shadow came after her. “We were told to take her into protective custody.”</p><p>“LIARS! YOU HAD A NEEDLE!”</p><p>Tendou patted Kaoru’s head gently, and moved her further behind him.</p><p>Still glaring, he pointed up at the sun.</p><p>“Grandmother said this: ‘<em>Children are treasures. The greatest sin in this world is to damage those treasures</em>.’” Tendou continued to glare as the Kabuto Zector flew to him</p><p>One of the faceless grunt members of shadow Immediately bailed. Ah yes, he’d been one of the ones to look after Yu during the period Tendou had led them, hadn’t he?</p><p>The other members followed suit shortly after.</p><p>Tendou pat Kaoru’s head again.</p><p>“I miss my dad. Can I stay with you for awhile…? I- I still wanna see him, though.”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“So Tendou-San. <em>Are</em> you and my Dad friends?”</p><p>Tendou didn’t answer her.</p><p>He didn’t know <em>How</em> to answer her.</p><p>He didn’t know <em>What</em> his feelings towards Arata Kagami even <em>were</em> in the first place. Not towards this version, or the version who had been his brother in law.</p><p>He’d never had any sort of proper ‘relationship’ with <em>anyone </em>his own age.</p><p>How <em>Could</em> he? There had been no time for that sort of thing in either timeline.</p><p>Even Yu had come from one of two one-night-stands in the same evening. Both of those had frankly been him trying to see what having sex would be like, as Souji Tendou was well aware he was considered attractive, a fact he too enjoyed. </p><p>He’d put all that effort into training his body in preparation for becoming Kabuto, after all. What use would it be to remain without having had sex at least once in his life?</p><p>(Frankly, Tendou was Very Glad each had been <em>Only</em> One night after he’d Met Yaguruma and Tsurugi again outside of that bar. Neither experience had been satisfying, anyways. Yaguruma was the worse of the two by far, at that.)</p><p>There had never been any opportunities for real ‘relationships.’ Either he had kept other people at arms length, or they were burnt by trying to keep up with the path of heaven he was on, or they had learned he preferred men and reacted badly, or worse found out he had been identified wrongly at birth and had begun treating him like the woman he had <em><strong>Never</strong></em> been or misgendering him constantly.</p><p>He’d Kneed at least one cretin who didn’t get the message.</p><p>(Though, if you asked him, he didn’t exactly care one way or the other for sex, and couldn’t really see the point beyond eventually getting it over with.) </p><p>But still, <em>actual</em>, long-lasting friendships were completely out of his repertoire.</p><p>Not that he had minded, really. He’d had his training and his cooking, along with acquaintances, his little sister Jyuka, and he’d Had Yu this past year.</p><p>Maybe <em>that</em> was the answer to these feelings he’d had for Kagami. Maybe they were the desire to be <em>friends</em> with the other man.</p><p>No wonder Grandmother said it was dangerous.</p><p>“Yes, I think we are.” he said. “…Though, don’t tell Him that.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Adult reasons.”</p>
<hr/><p>“…Holy fuck, we nearly killed a <em>kid.</em> And <em>Kagami’s</em> kid at that. What the <em>Fuck</em>.”</p><p>“I mean, it’s what we were ordered to do. You’ve been real weird ever since we had to babysit-”</p><p>“I’m not That low, asshole. I’m here to save humanity, not ‘<em>take out</em>’ Literal Children. I can’t believe it took one of Tendou-san’s weird grandma speeches to make me realize.”</p><p>“Hey, Tanaka’s right! Who the hell gave us these orders anyways?”</p>
<hr/><p>“…You should catch your <em>Daughter’s</em> feelings as well.” Tendou added, before picking Yu up and walking away to leave Kagami alone… as well as go home and Finally cook his damn tofu.</p><p>She snuggled him, murmuring “<em>Papa</em>” in her sleep.</p><p>Her hair was getting long, noted Tendou to himself.</p><p>Meanwhile, Arata Kagami then noticed that his daughter had in fact been there the Entire time.</p><p>“H-h-hi Daddy.” Said Kaoru, shyer than normal.</p><p>That was fair, Kagami had <em>barely </em>seen her in <em>months</em>, and when he Did he was usually half awake or Exhausted. (Or he was working, like that time with Daigo.)</p><p>Some father he was. All he was doing was repeating his <em>Own</em> father’s mistakes.</p><p>-Wait. Why was she with Tendou? …Fuck it, he’d focus on that later.</p><p>He ran over and hugged her, knocking her hat off.</p><p>“…Why did you s-” she began.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I’m So Sorry…”</p><p>Kaoru began sniffling and wailed into the hug.</p>
<hr/><p>They wound up back at the baseball pitch.</p><p>Despite one of her eyes not working, Kaoru still enjoyed watching her dad pitch, and counting how many Times he did it.</p><p>Riku Kagami showed up.</p><p>They had a game of catch.</p>
<hr/><p>“…Did you know.” asked Arata Kagami, his daughter asleep in his lap.</p><p>“No. Hinata’s death was a shock to me, as well.”</p><p>Kagami flinched. Just <em>hearing</em> his former lover’s name still hurt.</p><p>“…Was it <em>really </em>a hemorrhage?”</p><p>“…No. I don’t have any idea what it actually was, and neither did Hi-her doctor. They elected to tell you that was the cause because you were an 18 year old newly single father.”</p><p>Kagami sighed sadly. “…Yeah. I’d probably have shut down way worse if I’d been told that they had no idea why a perfectly healthy woman had died after only holding her newborn Once. …Kaoru doesn’t even remember her.” He hesitates. “I’m… I’m starting to forget, too. I can barely remember what she Sounded like, anymore. I… we should’ve made videos or Something.”</p>
<hr/><p>“…Wait. Kaoru was with her other grandfather. She just <em>left</em> without telling him and I haven’t heard from him all day-”</p><p>“Go Call him! I’ll look after Kaoru!” </p>
<hr/><p>Hinata’s father, owner of a bar that every single one of the riders sans Mishima had gone to, was dead. He had been shot, his last act most likely having been to tell Kaoru to run from Shadow.</p><p>Although, it wasn’t likely that Tendou would tell anyone his theory.</p><p>The 5 year old Very much did not deserve that kind of guilt.</p><p>It would just have to be yet another thing Tendou would bear the burden for.</p><p><em>Unfortunately</em>, Kaoru was smart enough to realize her maternal grandfather had been <em>Hurt</em> because she’d run off.</p><p>Kagami had wound up having a sort of mild break down at the realization that he’d gotten a man killed by initially refusing to be the negotiator.</p><p>‘<em>At least this Wasn’t Riku Kagami’s doing, for once</em>,’ thought Tendou.</p><p>Even if Tendou didn’t like the man, he didn’t seem like the type to forcibly kidnap his own granddaughter.</p><p>Kagami hadn’t even Told the girl’s maternal grandfather about Why he was having her live with him anyways.</p><p>Her paternal grandfather could easily have gotten her without using force. </p><p>‘<em>This was Very Likely Mishima’s doing…</em>’ Thought Tendou, while he was getting himself and Yu ready for the funeral.</p>
<hr/><p>“Truly, this is hell. My favorite bar is gone forever” said Yaguruma.</p><p>“Not that we could afford to go after falling Into this darkness, Brother” said Kageyama, who was Not his actual brother.</p><p>“I’m going to miss it.” Said Daisuke, who was very straight.</p><p>“…Aren’t you only into women?”</p><p>“I am, but they had good cocktails, and lesbians and bi women deserve makeup too, as do men.” Said Daisuke, with a shrug.</p><p>Tsurugi had Also gone to this bar. At least, he <em>had</em>, until he’d decided that he was a heterosexual man.</p><p>Which had Not at All been what Jiiya had meant when he had started <em>that</em> conversation.</p><p>(<em>Tsurugi Kamishiro was in fact Bisexual and an uppperclass twit, who really shouldn’t have been banging men he did not know in the bathroom of a gay bar. There were Several reasons for that, not the least of which being because he was a Worm.</em>)</p>
<hr/><p>Everyone mourned the bar owner.</p><p>Tendou and other former regulars gave a speech. (Tendou’s, of course, included a line from his grandmother.)</p><p>Kagami felt almost Numb, he’d gone through so much this past year.</p><p>Kaoru had cried, blaming herself for running.</p><p>At this point, Kagami was just waiting for the final nail in the coffin; Kaoru either dying or being a Worm.</p><p>He didn’t know what he’d do if either happened.</p><p>He continued sitting, long after almost everyone else had left.</p><p>Tendou placed a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<hr/><p>“What was Kaoru’s mother like?” Asked Tendou. He was holding a sleeping Yu, while Kaoru was asleep against Kagami, having cried herself out.</p><p>Tendou was trying to take Kagami’s mind off of all of <em>this</em>, not that he was Good at it. But he was Trying, which was nice for a change.</p><p>(And this was <em>very much</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> a problem that could be solved by his go-to methods of Cooking, or worm killing.)</p><p>“…I’ll tell you… just… not yet.” Said Kagami, looking pained. </p><p>It took a little while before he resumed talking. </p><p>“…Honestly, I was a Mess after Hinata died. I was 18, my lover was dead, Kaoru’s eye was messed up… If Ryou hadn’t been around… I was So close to naming Kaoru after her mom, but… she wouldn’t have wanted that. So, I used what we’d planned to call a girl. I kind of shut down for a while after that. Hinata’s father kind of let me just hang out at his bar at nights.”</p><p>“…I barely even remember what she sounded like anymore. I’m just lucky Kaoru looks like her. She Hated having her photo taken …I have almost nothing to remember her by…”</p><p>Kagami paused, taking a shuddering breath.</p><p>“It didn’t make Sense, she was <em>Healthy</em> the entire pregnancy. They told me it was hemorrhaging at the time. …Apparently, they thought I wouldn’t have been able to handle that the doctors didn’t know Why she died. …They were right. I still don’t know how to feel about Any of this.” </p><p>Tendou Said nothing, just stayed by his side.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day Kagami received a package from Tendou.</p><p>There was a dvd inside.</p><p>When he played it… the footage was from years ago.</p><p>It was of him and Hinata on a date.</p><p>It wasn’t an eventful date for them.</p><p>It was before she’d gotten pregnant with Kaoru.</p><p>But it had been a nice date all the same.</p><p>“Daddy, is that-?” Asked Kaoru</p><p>“…Yeah. It is. That- That’s your mom, Kaoru.” said a now tearful Kagami.</p><p>Just hearing his lover’s voice again, after all this time, drove him to tears.</p><p>He’d forgotten just how nice it had sounded.</p><p>Kaoru’s one visible eye sparkled excitedly.</p><p>“She’s so pretty!”</p><p>“<em>Yeah</em>, she was.” </p>
<hr/><p>Things went back to ‘normal’ after that. Well, as normal as they could be when the Worms and Tendou were involved.</p><p>A second Tendou showing up was sure something.</p><p>The second Tendou, the one Hiyori had found in Shibuya and had run off with, and also acted Nothing like the regular one.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou refusing to attack his minic was certainly another thing that happened.</p><p>He claimed it was because if said mimic died there would be no way to reach Hiyori.</p><p>It was also quite confusing.</p><p>Kaoru; who had missed much of this past year’s events, was completely lost.</p><p>Yu just nodded along.</p><p>Kagami left both children with Tendou, since He had worms to deal with and Tendou needed to recover anyways.</p>
<hr/><p>“…<em>If I don’t return, if that happens… tell Kagami the location</em>, and to look after Yu for me.” Said Tendou to Renge.</p><p>He held Yu gently against his chest, absent mindedly stroking her hair. The toddler was deeply asleep, as it was late.</p><p>“<em>I don’t believe it…</em>” said Renge</p><p>“<em>I’m counting on you. However… keep all that secret from Kagami, okay?”</em> Said Tendou, picking a <em>Really</em> bad week for this.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu watched Papa as he taught Jyuka how to cook.</p><p>She, of course, watched too, peeking over her father’s back. She enjoyed his cooking and couldn’t wait to be old enough to walk <em>and</em> handle knives and such.</p>
<hr/><p>Renge, of course, Told Kagami what the plan was.</p><p>Tendou had given her Yu to hold onto while he was ‘defeated’ or… if worse came to worse (and knowing Tendou, that was increasingly possible) he was dead.</p><p>…It was safer than risking what the mimic would Do to her, or leaving her at home.</p><p>Of course, Yu did not like this one iota.</p><p>Kagami left Yu and Kaoru with Renge, and took off, Yelling. “I’LL BE BACK SOON! KAORU, YU, BE GOOD FOR RENGE!”</p><p>“OKAY! GO HELP TENDOU-SAN!”</p><p>“<em><strong><strike>GO HELP PAPA!!</strike></strong></em>”</p><p>He’d lost enough people. He couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.</p>
<hr/><p>Renge looked at the two children.</p><p>She didn’t Know Senpai’s daughter well.</p><p>The little girl cleared her throat. “Do you wanna play math games or colour?” Asked Kaoru.</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“Uhh, do you want to see wire tricks?” Asked Renge.</p><p>“<em><strong>Do I?!</strong></em> That’s <em><strong>Way </strong></em>Cooler!” Kaoru squeed.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Tendou!</em>, <em><strong>YOU FUCKING IDIOT! I CAN’T LOSE YOU TOO!</strong></em>” Yelled Kagami who’d just lost his Father in-law as he went to go save Tendou from being rider kicked.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Why did you do that?!</em>” Yelled Tendou.</p><p>“<em><strong>I’ll</strong> Defeat your mimic</em>.” Said Kagami.</p><p>He went to go do so, but Tendou grabbed his Leg.</p><p>“<em>Stop! I Have to Die to save Hiyori!” </em>He yelled, still clinging to Kagami’s leg.</p><p>Kagami ended his transformation into Gattack.</p><p>“<em>And I… have to do nothing, and watch you be killed</em>?!” He yelled, choked up, facing away from Tendou. “<em>Are you such a small man? From Amoeba to humans… Don’t you protect all lifeforms on Earth? It’s Because you’re such a big guy… that I want to surpass you. Tendou</em>!”</p><p>Tendou smiled at him in his usual way. “<em>Truly… you are an interesting fellow</em>.”</p><p>Tendou had smiled like that before, but Arata Kagami had never realized how much he’d loved it until this very moment.</p><p>Kagami then realized internally that <em>oh no</em>, he really <em>had</em> fallen in love again, right as Tendou’s mimic attacked them.</p><p>He’d deal with both the guilt over moving on from Hinata, and the realization that he was less straight than he’d thought, later.</p><p><em>Much</em> later.</p><p>Besides, it wasn’t like Tendou would Return his feelings anyways.</p>
<hr/><p>“Kao”</p><p>Kaoru looked over at Yu, the toddler trying to get up from where she was seated.</p><p>She’d never seen the other girl try to do so before, since she was usually content to be carried, and she’d never seen her focus on talking.</p><p>(Her father mentioned once that he believed she’d walk when she was ready.)</p><p>“Kaoruuu.”</p><p>…Oh!</p><p>“Yu-chan you said my name!”</p><p>Yu nodded, and continued to try to speak.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou, angsting over his sister refusing to return to this world, looked over to Renge.</p><p>Kagami, who’d gotten blasted and was sitting down, did the same. (He <em>really</em> should have gotten medical attention.)</p><p>Kaoru and Yu were with her.</p><p>She handed Yu over to Tendou, as Kaoru ran over to Kagami.</p><p>“Daddy! Tendou-san! Yu said my name And she Stood up!”</p><p>Tendou looked down at Yu. “Am I to be excluded from <em>All</em> your firsts?”</p><p>“<em><strike>Yu still hasn’t walked yet, Yu wants papa to see that.</strike></em>” Said the toddler sleepily. “<em><strike>Yu’s just sleepy right now.</strike></em>”</p><p>Tendou ruffled his beloved daughter’s hair, the toddler snuggling closer, a slight smile on his face. </p>
<hr/><p>“Daddy?” Asked Kaoru.</p><p>“Yeah?” Said Kagami, holding Kaoru’s hand.</p><p>He was taking her to her babysitter’s house. Then, he’d go Find Tendou before he tried to go off alone to fight <em>Again</em>. Although, right now it was outside of when he’d normally drop her off.</p><p>Actually, he’d gone this way before in the day time, hadn’t he?</p><p>“…Can you promise me you’ll come back?”</p><p>“You know I will-”</p><p>“Make a pinkie promise, then! I want Two Cool Dads, not just Tendou-san.” She said, holding out her hand.</p><p>“I promise.” said Kagami softly, locking pinkies with his daughter.</p>
<hr/><p>“-Oh, Son of a bbb—” Kagami trailed off.</p><p>He’d been leaving Kaoru with Jyuka Tendou the <em>ENTIRE</em> time.</p><p>Wow, he really <em>did</em> handle exhaustion badly. </p><p>He Really should have realized something was up when she’d been here that time with Jyuka and the hotcakes after Tendou had joined Zect again, and Kaoru had said hi to him.</p><p>Well, at least this saved him a trip.</p>
<hr/><p>They were driving to where the worm attacks were (Although, if you asked Tendou, Kagami very much needed to still be in the hospital.)</p><p>“…Sorry about basically just dumping Kaoru on you and Jyuka-chan. I-”</p><p>“If Yu is that well behaved when <em>She </em>is four, I will be pleased. You’ve done well with Kaoru on your own while dealing with your grief.”</p><p>Kagami could only blush under his motorcycle helmet.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>But right now we have to defeat the worm. Earlier you said… if it’s us we can defeat him, right?” </em>Said Tendou.</p><p>Kagami stuttered a bit before he responded. (<em><strong>Nope</strong></em>, he was <em><strong>Not </strong></em>ready to begin handling his newly found feelings yet at <em>all</em>.)</p><p>“<em>Y-yeah. That was just to raise your spirit-” </em>he said at last.</p><p>“<em>That’s right. If Kabuto and Gattack attack simultaneously… Then he can’t copy the attack.</em>”</p><p>“<em>R-right. That’s what I meant to say.</em>” said Kagami internally panicking some more.</p><p>Tendou only smiled at him in his usual way.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>You go get Hiyori.</em>” Said Kagami.</p><p>Kabuto and Gattack looked at each other, a long pause</p><p>“<em>I’ll hold up till you return. And then…The two of us will defeat that worm.</em>” Said Kagami as he put up his fist.</p><p>Tendou returned the gesture with a fist bump.</p><p>And then he was off to go rescue Hiyori.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Look at what state you’re in, isn’t Kabuto going to come save you</em>?”</p><p>Gattack was damaged, Kageyama’s earlier attempt to be Kamen Rider TheBee again and ignore his advice had been Less than useful.</p><p>Kagami pushed himself back up and yelled at the purple worm</p><p>“<em><strong>SHUT UP!!</strong></em> <em>Like You’d Understand the Bond Between us!</em>”</p>
<hr/><p>“Hiyori!” Yelled Yu. She’d been asleep for much of this.</p><p>She didn’t know exactly how any of this had happened, but she was happy her aunt was back.</p><p>Hiyori smiled a bit.</p><p>“You should bond with your niece too. she’s missed you.”</p><p>Hiyori nodded and took Yu.</p><p>Tendou gave Hiyori his denim jacket, and turned to leave.</p><p>“<em><strike>Wait! Yu’ll be fast!</strike></em>”</p><p>Tendou looked over, shakily Yu walked over and hugged his leg.</p><p><em>“Go save the world papa.” </em>she said. </p><p>Her first steps… and her first comprehensive sentence, as well.</p><p>He knelt down and patted her hair proudly.</p><p>And then he was off.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami and Tendou returned to their normal states.</p><p>Their bond with each other, and Yaguruma’s bond with his own partner, had been stronger than the purple worm.</p><p>Tendou ran to catch Kagami as he fell, helping the other man up.</p><p>“<em>I owe you one</em>” he said, thankful for Kagami’s help in allowing him to rescue his sister.</p><p>“<em>Next time...cook me something.</em>” said Kagami.</p><p>Not that he was not quite ready to ask Tendou out just yet, or anything.</p>
<hr/><p>Oh right, Yu had forgotten Dark Kabuto.</p><p>Dark Kabuto, or “Souji Kusakabe” was Very, <em>Very</em> unhappy over Papa having stolen Hiyori from him, deciding that he would destroy the world.</p><p>He turned his attention to her.</p><p>Yu realized very quickly this was going to end Horrifically.</p><p>She’d only <em>Just</em> begun walking, and she didn’t <em>Want</em> to leave Hiyori, not after Papa had gone through All that to save her.</p><p>But she was scared and had to get away <em>Now</em>.</p><p>Especially when the purple worm guy- no, <em>two</em> of the purple worm guy arrived.</p><p>She began to run, still shaky on her feet.</p><p>“If he can steal Hiyori from <em>me</em>, I’ll steal his Daughter from <em>Him.</em>” said Dark Kabuto.</p>
<hr/><p>‘<em>REACH OUT MY ARM, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST!</em>’ thought Yu.</p><p>TheBee had gotten fond of her at some point, even giving her a tiny brace.</p><p>She just had to hope… </p>
<hr/><p>TheBee Zector came, and yanked her away.</p>
<hr/><p>Yaguruma and Kageyama were walking to… well, wherever the fuck they went to during their downtime when Yu Tendou fell out of the sky.</p><p>“The Fuck? Why is Tendou’s kid here?”</p><p>“…Her eyes, they’ve seen Hell too.”</p><p>“Bro, you can’t be serious-”</p><p>Yaguruma waved his arm to silence Kageyama as he looked over the toddler.</p><p>“..i think she’s my daughter”</p><p>Yu nodded. “Papa also says Yagu-san is Yu’s father”</p><p>She paused, still looking quite tired.</p><p>“Papa says a lot of things. …And does a lot of things. Yu is very tired, Yu can’t sleep in a lot of places. …Yu is also scared right now and very tired. Kagami is good, but Yu also worries about him. And when Yu sleeps bad things happen to Papa and to Kagami…”</p><p>“What the fuck-”</p><p>“Ah, that must truly be hell. It won’t be much easier here, but spending time with you would be nice.”</p><p>Yu gave a nod.</p><p>“Yu’ll walk the path of hell. …Yu just wants to spend her first christmas with papa. Then she’ll go with you Yagu-san.”</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou stared blankly.</p><p>He had no idea where Yu could have been or gone, and Hiyori wasn’t awake to tell them.</p><p>She’d been missing for <em>hours</em>.</p><p>While she’d only Just begun to walk, she could have still made great strides.</p><p>She was, after all, walking the path of heaven too, even if not to the extent that he was. </p>
<hr/><p>Yu turned up at home an hour later, looking Very tired, TheBee Zector having delivered her.</p><p>“Papa, Yu is back.”</p><p>Tendou Picked her up and held her tightly.</p><p>She passed out.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou flipped through the parenting book, Yu was feverish and crying, and he needed to take care of her or he’d be a failure as a father, and he would Not fail her.</p><p>“Hey Nii-chan, you and Kagami-san are friends right?”</p><p>“Yes, why do You ask- don’t tell him.”</p><p>“No reason!”</p><p>Souji Tendou had a sudden sense of worry, but he focused more on his daughter. (And decidedly tried <em>not</em> to focus on how his Other sister had been hospitalized recently.)</p>
<hr/><p>Yu spent the following xmas mostly in and out of it.</p><p>She just got the idea that bad things were happening, and that Tsurugi was a worm.</p><p>…Oh, wait, she’d known that, hadn’t she? She’d heard Kagami muttering something about hoping She wasn’t a worm.</p><p>Though… she was pretty sure he wasn’t her other father.</p><p>No, wait, that was right, she very much knew that her other father was Yagu-san. Again, thanks to Kagami.</p><p>She was too tired to think.</p><p>And every time she looked at her papa, all she could see was his worm mimic coming after her.</p><p>She was so tired, if this was what Yagu-san thought hell was like… </p><p>She truly believed she was walking that path.</p>
<hr/><p>At least the Christmas cake was nice (not that she was allowed to Have any of it), as was spending time with Auntie Jyuka.</p><p>Yu would miss her, too, while she walked the path of hell.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>2007</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Yu left while Tendou went to deal with the worm detector necklaces.</p><p>Which was good, since he was being considered a criminal. That was <em>why</em> he’d left her behind, to keep her from getting involved.</p><p>She put on a black coat. It had gotten torn up in a prior worm attack. But it would do.</p>
<hr/><p>“Grandpa!” yelled Kaoru happily.</p><p>Riku Kagami had been trying to put in some effort at spending time with his only grandchild.</p><p>Admittedly, it was currently a bad time for ‘bonding.’ But she’d be fine with some crayons and a colouring book.</p><p>She didn’t listen well to the worm stuff at all.</p>
<hr/><p>“Bro, she’s a Baby-”</p><p>“Kage-san, Yu can share with Yagu-san. Kage-san is Important to Yagu-san. Yu Can tell.”</p><p>“Bro, this isn’t a good idea.”</p><p>“But we could be… a family… in Hell… Just the three of us.”</p><p>“Bro…”</p>
<hr/><p>And so, they indeed ended up keeping Yu with them for the time being.</p>
<hr/><p>“TENDOU! YU IS <em><strong>MISSING</strong></em>, DO YOU <em><strong>EVEN CARE RIGHT NOW, MISTER PATH OF HEAVEN</strong></em>?!”</p><p>Tendou said nothing, which didn’t help with his current crime in progress.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou, naturally, panicked. How <em>dare</em> Kagami accuse him of not caring.</p><p>If he truly hadn’t he would have taken her with him for <em>this</em>.</p><p>He’d left her with Jyuka, she should have been Safe.</p><p>Had she gone after him?!</p><p>Had she left for Other reasons?!</p><p>Had Zect Captured her?!</p><p>He spotted Yu’s doll in some bushes. She’d probably dropped it, and then a worm attack had likely knocked it over here.</p><p>It was dirty and soaked from being left outside for this long, but it would be easy to clean with some effort.</p>
<hr/><p>“…You aren’t cut out for this, the path of hell.”</p><p>“…Yu… Yu isn’t sure what Yu wants…” said the one year old.</p><p>“You still have a chance to walk in the light. You should take it.”</p><p>Yu said nothing.</p><p>She didn’t feel like she still had a chance, especially after dropping and losing her doll.</p><p>…It was fine. She didn’t <em>need</em> it anyways, as Yaguruma had told her in a (misguided) attempt to cheer her up.</p>
<hr/><p>Tendou came across a fervish Kageyama, the man refusing to take off the worm detector necklaces.</p><p>A shame, but at the moment Tendou was not here for <em>Him</em>.</p><p>Yu stood near Kageyama where Kageyama had been, swaying woozily on her feet.</p><p>“<em>…Papa</em>…?”</p><p>He moved to help keep her on her feet.</p><p>“It is Papa…” she said, her eyes gaining more awareness, as she took him in.</p><p>“Papa… …Yu is in hell. …But… Yu misses home, and Papa, and Kagami, and Auntie Jyuka… and her doll… and Yagu-san said they were going to look for their own light. So… Yu wants too… Yu will… Yu will go with you.”</p><p>Tendou nodded, and held her hand.</p><p>He tried, and failed, to not glare in the direction Kageyama had run off to, for bleaching his daughter’s hair.</p>
<hr/><p>“Do you want to be carried?” he asked very shortly after.</p><p>“…Yu… Yu thinks she would like that” she said quietly.</p><p>Tendou picked her up easily, and held her against him, as he continued to walk.</p><p>As he carried her, he removed her hair from the pigtails the hoppers had put in it.</p><p>“…I’m proud you’re able to talk so well this early. I wish it had come less traumatically for you. But I’m glad you can share your words with everyone else clearly.” he said quietly to her, stroking her hair. “…Now, try and sleep. I’ll get you something to eat as well.” he said, taking a doll out and handing it to her.</p><p>-It was <em>Her</em> Doll, she’d thought she'd never ever see it again.</p><p>And it was clean too.</p><p>Yu didn’t sleep, but she did feel less terrible with her papa around.</p><p>…And having her doll again, and having something in her stomach a few minutes later, did a world of good.</p>
<hr/><p>Yu sat against the wall, holding her doll tightly, as her father and Kagami dueled.</p><p>They were just like this now.</p><p>She was so tired.</p><p>-Wait… Papa wasn’t using the Hyper Zector…?</p><p>“<em>PAPA</em>?!”</p><p>“<em><strong>PAPA NO</strong></em>!”</p>
<hr/><p>Papa had Lost… and was possibly dead. (Yes, there had been an explosion, but he… might have lived. That was Papa for you.)</p><p>Truly, this really Was hell Yu was in.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami was quiet.</p><p>He didn’t know what to say to Yu. It didn’t help that the toddler looked to be Badly in need of sleep.</p><p>And now he’d basically orphaned her.</p><p>“Kagami doesn’t need to apologize, Yu knows she’s in hell already” said Yu, her voice soft, quiet. She hadn’t stopped clinging to her doll.</p><p>“…”</p><p>“…Yu will go with Kagami, Yu trusts him, Papa said Kagami was safe, and even though Papa is gone… Yu Wants to go with Kagami…”</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami broke into the truck that held his father, and hopefully his daughter.</p><p>The man had been ousted from Zect.</p><p>His plan, the plan he’d had for 35 years, that he’d made together with Souichi Kusakabe, had been discovered.</p><p>…And to make matters worse, Kaoru was <em>not</em> on the truck.</p>
<hr/><p>“…You should try and sleep.”</p><p>“…Yu Has tried. It doesn’t work. Even the places she could, don’t work. Yu keeps getting worried. It doesn’t stop. Yu just feels like she’s in hell. …Papa hasn’t been Gone this long before… Kagami… Papa is the <em>Only</em> Papa Yu’s ever had.”</p><p>“…Yeah. I know.”</p><p>“…Can Yu have a hug? Yu’s not Kaoru, but she can at least hug you.”</p><p>“Of course. Come here.”</p>
<hr/><p>“I’ve been pulling the strings for a long time, Your lover’s death, and your daughter’s eye, were me. It was simple - just a supply of poison into the epidural. She really shouldn’t have lasted as long as she did.”</p><p>“…<em><strong>You’re</strong></em> why I don’t have a mommy?!” yelled Kaoru, still being held hostage.</p><p>“<em><strong>YOU SON OF A BITCH</strong></em>!” yelled Kagami at Mishima.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>To all humans, I am truly sorry. We have foreseen the fight between humans and Native. It’s true that the Worms are invaders, however… Humans had no intention of coexisting with them. Humans are destined to battle. Humans continue to fight, even when it consumes countries and people.They Cannot Coexist with us Native. That’s why… we will turn all of humanity into Native. That Is True Peace. Foolish Humans are no longer needed</em>.” broadcasted Negishi.</p><p>“<em>Shut up…</em>” said a badly beaten and bloodied Kagami, who was currently lying on the ground, having failed in his attempt to stop this on his own.</p><p>Kaoru was across the room, struggling to break free and trying to run over to him.</p><p>“<em>Humans… have amazing guys like Tendou… Humans won’t lose to the Native…” </em>continued Kagami, struggling to pick himself up from the ground. </p><p>“<em>He always said this to me… Even if the world became his enemies… He, all Alone… didn’t give up, even in the end.</em>”</p><p>“<em>Stubborn fool</em>,” said Mishima as he Stomped on Kagami’s chest. “<em>Tendou no longer exists.</em>”</p><p>And then a voice echoed into the room.</p><p>“<em>Grandmother said this… ‘In this world, there is only one name you must know, there is Only one Name you must remember</em>’.”</p><p>“‘<em>…the man who will rule over all</em>.’”</p><p>“‘<em>Tendou Souji.</em>’” Souji Tendou who had, in the author’s words, likely gone home, had a shower, and changed his goddamn clothes, and was saying all this FROM THE TOP OF THE BROADCAST TOWER.</p><p>With that, he jumped down to Continue his speech.</p><p>“<em>I am the world. As long as the world exists… So Will I!</em>” he continued, throwing a flower and stopping More of humanity turning into natives.</p><p>“<em>A single flower for a man who destroys dreams. You should rise to heaven with that flower</em>.” said Tendou to Mishima, Kaoru breaking free of her captors and running over to her father. On her way, she handed Yu over to Tendou.</p><p>The very tired Yu gave him an exasperated look, as he stroked her hair apologetically.</p><p>“<em>You Foolish Humans cannot change yourselves</em>!” yelled Negishi as things continued to explode.</p><p>“<em>That’s where you’re wrong. Humans can change! So humans belong to the Native? All Life in this world… All Life is lovely. You changed Humans into your servants. You Don’t change the world for your own sake. If you change Yourself, the world will change</em>!”</p><p>And with a point to the sky… </p><p>“<em>That is the path of heaven</em>!”</p><p>Mishima Glared at him as Kagami began to Also speak, while still trying to get off the ground, now with Kaoru’s help.</p><p>“<em>First of all… Humans and… Native… …a world where we live together. …A world without conflict… …We will grab a hold of that with our own hands</em>.”</p><p>“<em>But that world is not needed. Because Humans are not Needed</em>!”</p><p>“<em>That was your limitation to begin with</em>.” said Tendou.</p>
<hr/><p>In the end, Kagami and Tendou were right.</p><p>The Zectroopers who had turned into Natives began to turn back to human form.</p>
<hr/><p>The final battle was over.</p><p>Tendou and Kagami had sent the zectors off.</p><p>It was just them and their daughters. They were all exhausted, and sitting on the roof. (As they should be, the men had gotten stabbed about <em>Five Times Each</em> during all of that.)</p><p>“<em>I will only tell you this once. Those walking the same path don’t merely pass as comrades</em>. <em>But those who walk different paths, and arrive together at the end are</em>…” Tendou trailed off.</p><p>“…<em>Friends</em>.” finished Kagami for Tendou. “<em>Are those your grandmother’s words</em>?”</p><p>“<em>No</em>.” said Tendou, with a fond smile.</p><p>“<em>They’re My words.</em>” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Behold: resolution for the slow burn.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tendou got Yu into the hospital’s provided bedding. She’d passed out the moment the fighting was truly over, and she’d heard him call Kagami his friend. </p>
<p>He’d spent an hour holding his sleeping daughter.</p>
<p>(She would wind up sleeping for most of the next week, Utterly exhausted from all of this, and in Desperate need of sleep. Her talk of hell was… <em>very</em> worrying.)</p>
<p>…Friend, though… </p>
<p>…Something about that word choice seemed… off.</p>
<p>He definitely felt those feelings, but there was something Else. </p>
<p>But what <em>was</em> it?</p>
<p>…First things first, though. He <em><strong>Very</strong></em> badly needed to sleep.</p>
<p>The last two days, let alone the past <em>Year</em> had been very hectic, to say the least.</p>
<p>(At least Kagami hadn’t had to dig himself out of rubble yesterday.)</p>
<p>The faster he and Yu got out of the Hospital the better… </p>
<p>That was… </p>
<p>If Tendou was allowed to <em>Keep</em> his daughter.</p>
<p>One of the nurses had called child services after Seeing Yu.</p><hr/>
<p>“You need to calm down Tendou. I will handle this,” said Tadokoro, having come in Kagami’s stead.</p>
<p>Tendou continued to say nothing, sitting up, more stiffly than normal.</p>
<p>Yu was in another room, one of the people from child services looking her over.</p><hr/>
<p>Yu yawned, waking up, still Deeply tired.</p>
<p>She looked around, and noticed the man in the suit here.</p><hr/>
<p>“Now Tendou-san, what else-”</p>
<p>“PAPA!” cried out Yu.</p>
<p>Tendou caught her, and held her against him, without even looking.</p><hr/>
<p>“What did you do, Tadokoro-san?” asked Kagami later.</p>
<p>“We work for a government agency, take a guess.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p><hr/>
<p>A few days after they had been released, Tendou went to La Salle. In part it was to <em>finally</em> be able to talk to Hiyori properly again, and in part it was also to get some… advice regarding himself and Kagami.</p>
<p>“You want to bang him. I’m <em>pretty sure</em> you want to bang him.” said Hiyori after he’d finished his meal.</p>
<p>Tendou’s eyes widened from the epiphany.</p>
<p>He slammed money on the table and TOOK OFF.</p>
<p>(He’d apologize to Hiyori for having sex with the man who’d she’d married in another timeline. Later. A pity, he’d basically just gotten past the fact that This Hiyori and Kagami weren’t interested in each other romantically.)</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami got up from his bed, he’d still been sleeping off his own exhaustion from the final battle when the doorbell rang.</p>
<p>“Yes..?” he began before noticing.</p>
<p>It was Tendou, who looked like he’d realized something, and was out of breath like he’d run here.</p>
<p>“Tendou what are you-”</p>
<p>“You Were Wrong, <em><strong>I</strong></em> was wrong, I <em>can’t</em> call you my friend.”</p>
<p>“What? But-”</p>
<p>Whatever Arata Kagami was about to say was cut off by Tendou pinning him to the wall and Kissing him.</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oooohh.</em>
</p>
<p>Tendou had <em>Fallen</em> for <em>Him</em>.</p>
<p>He had thought the other man just didn’t like him that way.</p>
<p>He’d never given any indication it was otherwise.</p>
<p>It hadn’t helped that Kagami’s only other romantic relationship was with a woman, or that even Kagami himself had thought he was straight until last December.</p>
<p>But, <em>this</em>… He could work with <em>this</em>.</p>
<p>They’d basically been co-parenting together the last few months anyways.</p>
<p>He would always miss Hinata, but maybe he could be happy.</p>
<p><em>They</em> could be happy.</p>
<p>Before he could kiss back, the kiss ended.</p>
<p>“Thank you, that’s all I-” whatever Tendou was about to say this time was cut off by Kagami yanking him back and kissing Him.</p><hr/>
<p>They didn’t manage to talk much more for a while. They were too… distracted.</p><hr/>
<p>“We can be friends <em>And</em> lovers you know. The two aren’t exclusive.” said Kagami. (He hoped to god that Kaoru hadn’t heard either of them.)</p>
<p>“If you say so” said Tendou, lying next to him in the bed. (They were… ‘between rounds’.)</p><hr/>
<p>“I’ve never experienced sexual attraction before you.”</p>
<p>“-what?”</p>
<p>“I won’t repeat myself.”</p>
<p>“I heard you. I just- wait, then Why did you… with Tsurugi and- Yu’s father-”</p>
<p>“I was nearing 20. I refused to go any longer before I had sex. …It wasn’t very good and I didn’t see the point in any of it after that. Not that I’d really seen the point in it, beforehand.”</p>
<p>“…There’s… a <em>lot</em> to get into there, but-”</p>
<p>“We would not have done <em>that</em> so many times if you Hadn’t been good.”</p>
<p>“Oh thank god…”</p>
<p>“…?”</p>
<p>“…I just. It’d suck if all the sex you had was bad. Even if you Aren’t interested in it normally.”</p>
<p>“Hmm. Go wash up and wake up Kaoru, I’ll make breakfast.”</p>
<p>“-What?”</p>
<p>“I won’t repeat myself.”</p>
<p>And so Kagami went to do that.</p>
<p>‘<em>So this is what having a boyfriend is like</em>,’ Kagami thought to himself.</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou had been sleeping better lately. It was nice having a friend, and a lover. Even if there wasn’t romance between them… Well, the sex was good.</p>
<p>And it was good for Yu to have stability, especially with all that had happened.</p>
<p>At least while he’d let her down, he’d managed to actually be able to spend a decent amount of time with her.</p>
<p>He felt something tug against his pants.</p>
<p>“Papa. Yu is tired.”</p>
<p>Tendou looked at the clock. “Yes, it is quite late.”</p>
<p>He picked her up. She was still quite small and light, even if not as much as she’d been before.</p>
<p>“Papa looks less tired lately.”</p>
<p>“The world’s been saved. …From worms, anyways. I can relax for now.”</p>
<p>“That’s good, Yu was worried.”</p>
<p>“It’s not good for one so small to worry so much. I will handle my own issues.”</p>
<p>“Or Kagami will.”</p>
<p>“Yu.”</p>
<p>“But it’s true.” she said before she yawned and snuggled against him.</p>
<p>“Now now, it’s time to sleep.”</p><hr/>
<p>It took another two months for Tendou to realize he and Kagami were Actually dating.</p>
<p>Hiyori was fond of both of them, but this was ridiculous.</p>
<p>Now, if only she could have figured out why he’d looked horrified for a moment before slipping back into his usual emotional range.</p><hr/>
<p>It was a shame that Tendou reacted to this news by taking Yu and going to France ‘for Tofu’.</p>
<p>Saying that he did <strong>Not</strong> have <em>that</em> kind of affection for Kagami.</p>
<p>Kagami was a wreck internally, but he should have seen the signs. Of <em>course</em> Tendou seemingly only had wanted in his pants in the end.</p>
<p>Hiyori was going to kill her brother.</p><hr/>
<p>Kaoru Knew something was wrong. Her dad had gone from being quite happy recently, to being depressed like he’d been before the last year.</p>
<p>She also hadn’t seen Tendou-san or Yu lately.</p><hr/>
<p>“Papa, Yu doesn’t understand, Yu thought Papa loved Kagami. Kagami loves Papa after all.”</p>
<p>“That is his problem, I only love Kagami as a friend. Time apart will allow him to recover. I treated him as a lover, and it will ruin our friendship if I let it continue that way.”</p>
<p>“<em>Papa-</em>”</p>
<p>“I know what I’m doing Yu, I am the man who walks the path of heaven.”</p>
<p>Yu gave him a look. “Yu is <em>still </em>on the path of hell she sees…” she muttered to herself.</p>
<p>“<em>Yu.</em>”</p>
<p>“I don’t know you, but I’m pretty sure that your - <em>very advanced if we’re being honest</em> - kid is right, ” said the man beside him, another Japanese man, with an apparent penchant for plaid.</p>
<p>Tendou gave the man a look.</p>
<p>“We’re trapped in a flying metal box for the next several hours. Might as well get acquainted.” said the man, giving a thumbs up.</p><hr/>
<p>While he didn’t <em>Mind</em> the prospect of dating Kagami… It would only hurt the other man when he realized Tendou’s feelings were only friendship and lust based, and <em>not</em> romantic like the other man clearly wanted.</p>
<p>If Tendou was being honest… he didn’t know <em>what</em> he wanted with <em>This</em> version of Kagami.</p>
<p>He’d thought at first he’d wanted to be rivals, but that had changed as he and Kagami had gotten closer and closer.</p>
<p>And then Kaoru had asked if they were friends.</p>
<p>And those, now <em>those</em> were words Tendou <em>could</em> agree with.</p>
<p>And yet, he’d continued having these Other feelings, and they weren’t familial like they <em>Should have been</em> in the original timeline either.</p>
<p>(Had Tendou been honest with himself, he would realize that he didn’t have familial feelings for That Kagami, his Brother in law, either, especially by the end of their time together.)</p>
<p>And then, Hiyori had told him that he’d clearly been lusting for Kagami.</p>
<p>(“<em>You want to Bang Him</em>” as she’d put it.)</p>
<p>And things finally made sense, so he’d gone to handle it.</p>
<p>Out of his three partners, Kagami had been the only repeating one.</p>
<p>It was a shame he’d had to stop it.</p>
<p>The other man and him clearly wanted different things, and it felt wrong to have to end their friendship over it if he didn’t stop things when he did.</p>
<p>He was confident that things would be better this way, the same way he was confident about most other things in his life. </p>
<p>Besides, if he had fallen in love as Yu had claimed, he’d have noticed his feelings changing, but they’d remained the same the entire time.</p>
<p>(Besides, maybe <em>This</em> would be the catalyst for this version of Kagami and Hiyori to fall in love, and then <em>maybe</em> he would <em>Finally</em> stop feeling this unending and ceaseless guilt.)</p><hr/>
<p>“…I’m pretty sure you’re <em>already</em> in love.” said the other man, Godai, after receiving a very brief summary.</p>
<p>“Absolutely not.”</p>
<p>“Does Godai-san see what Yu has to deal with?”</p>
<p>“Yu, not in public.”</p>
<p>“Ah, she’s fine. I’ve got kids of my own, anyways. They’re good kids. They’re back in Japan with my partner.”</p><hr/>
<p>Weeks had passed.</p>
<p>Yu was unhappy with her Papa. She was young, but she Knew Papa was <em>Wrong</em>.</p>
<p>At least she wasn’t alone in this. Aunties Jyuka, Renge and Hiyori were Also unhappy with him.</p>
<p>She really Was on the path of hell.</p>
<p>Granted, it wasn’t as bad as it had been during those days she hadn’t slept or eaten properly at all.</p>
<p>And she knew that her Papa wasn’t sleeping well either with things as they were.</p>
<p>Actually… she’d noticed that he had only seemed to sleep while he and Kagami were together.</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou was fine. He was <em>Fine</em>. It wasn’t like a lack of sleep had killed him before. As long as Yu was able to sleep, he would be okay.</p>
<p>Though he wished he’d had an easier time finding a residence while he enrolled in classes.</p>
<p>(Most people didn’t want to share one with someone with a child, and he had Standards. And the fact that he’d transitioned at a young age made people act foolish.)</p>
<p>He was taken out of his thoughts by a pair of Japanese six year olds running by.</p><hr/>
<p>“Henshin.”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>CHANGE BEETLE!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“Cast off.”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>CAST OFF</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>The monster, a Kaijin of some sort, went down easily enough.</p>
<p>Both riders Kabuto, and Agito looked at each other, and pointed.</p><hr/>
<p>They ended up de-transforming at the same time.</p>
<p>Their kids were mostly fussing.</p>
<p>“Ah! You’re that path of heaven guy! Also you came in like 5 times trying to figure out my spinach soup… And there was something about some crimes a few months ago?”</p>
<p>“Shouichi Tsugami of Restaurant Agito?”</p>
<p>“Got it in one.”</p>
<p>“…Which came first, your child, or…”</p>
<p>“Me! When it came to the name, anyways. He just got lucky it’s what he got called a lot.” said one of the young girls, Agito, waving.</p>
<p>“It’s a cute name!”</p><hr/>
<p>They ended up talking some more.</p>
<p>-Rather, Shouichi talked, while Tendou stayed quiet and annoyed.</p>
<p>“So, I actually went to culinary school back in Japan, but I kind of lost my memories for… a while from an accident. So I got a bit rusty <em>…Also I’d kind of dropped out to figure out why my sister killed herself…</em> And then, well… last year happened, with the Worms.”</p>
<p>Tendou nodded.</p>
<p>“…I’m pretty sure Mana and Hikawa sent me down here to try and recover. …Did they ever use someone who’d died-”</p>
<p>“Yes.” said Tendou bluntly.</p>
<p>“…I was kind of in a funk for a while… So… here I am. What about you? I mean, beyond all of <em>That.</em>”</p>
<p>“I don’t feel like sharing.”</p>
<p>“Ahh, come on!”</p>
<p>Yu muttered sleepily.</p>
<p>“Papa is bad with People. I think he’s here cause he and Kagami-san had a fight… and last year was pretty bad for Yu and for Papa.”</p>
<p>“<em>Yu.</em>”</p>
<p>“It’s True though.”</p>
<p>“Well. We’re both riders, and dads. We should help one another out.” said Shouichi.</p>
<p>“If you must.”</p>
<p>“<em>Papa.</em>”</p><hr/>
<p>“Grandpa. I’m worried about Dad. He’s been super upset since Tendou-san stopped coming by, And I don’t get it, I <em>thought </em>they were Happy?”</p><hr/>
<p>“My son is miserable. I will Pay you to fly down to Paris with him to help”</p>
<p>“…I mean, sure I <em>will,</em> but why <em>Me</em>?” asked Daisuke.</p>
<p>“…You’re the only one available to actually go, everyone he was close to is busy.”</p>
<p>“My brother’s getting married” said Tadokoro.</p><hr/>
<p>“…and That’s how I got roped into helping those two with their love lives.”</p>
<p>The other man at the bar, Shouichi, pat his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Oh, hey, you mean Souji Tendou? I was on a plane with him for awhile.” spoke up another man. “Pretty sure he’s in love, and I think he’s probably convinced himself it was friendship the entire time”</p>
<p>“…Oh goddamnit, <em>that’s</em> what it is.” moaned Daisuke.</p>
<p>“Godai-san is right. At least that’s what Yu thinks, Daisuke-san” said Yu, tired again.</p>
<p>The bartender looked Very confused as to how a very small toddler got in here. Especially with her traditional Japanese clothes being so distinctive, and her wooden sandals being as noisy as they were.</p>
<p>“I mean, I’m here too!” said a six year old.</p>
<p>“Ahh, Agito-chan! You’re Also not supposed to be here- and where’s your sister” said Shouichi to his apparent daughter.</p>
<p>“Hotel.”</p><hr/>
<p>Daisuke thanked the other two men, and left with Yu.</p>
<p>He hadn’t been a main player in the worm stuff anyways.</p>
<p>And the kid really should not have been in a Bar.</p><hr/>
<p>It was bad parenting to lose one’s child so often within the span of one year, thought Souji Tendou to himself as he searched the city for his daughter.</p>
<p>How did she manage to be so quiet while wearing Geta anyways…?</p>
<p>Using Clock up would be a <em>tad</em> …inappropriate for this.</p>
<p><em>But</em>, she was his beloved daughter, and he’d failed her so much over the past year.</p>
<p>Especially if her habit of saying she was in hell was any indication.</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami had decided to take a walk on a whim.</p>
<p>And here was Kabuto appearing as if out of thin air as CLOCK UP ended.</p>
<p>Tendou and Kagami stared at one another.</p>
<p>Neither said anything for a time, the reason for Kagami being here left unspoken.</p>
<p>“…You look terrible.”</p>
<p>“…I don’t know why you would expect me to look any better. You broke my heart and only wanted to have Sex with me, apparently.”</p>
<p>“…Our bond was too strong to <em>continue</em> tainting it with sex. You were in love, and I was not. It would have only strained things as time went on.”</p>
<p>“Well it’s sure strained things <em>Now</em>! And we went on <em>Dates</em>, Tendou, <em>Dates <strong>Plural</strong></em>. What did you <em>Think</em> you were doing?”</p>
<p>“I was taking a <em>friend</em> out to dinner.”</p>
<p>“…Of course that’s what it was,” said Kagami, blaming himself for reading too much into these sorts of things.</p>
<p>He shook himself somewhat out of his funk.</p>
<p>It wasn’t Tendou’s fault that he apparently didn’t love him romantically. At least he had closure.</p>
<p>“<em>…Yeah, yeah, alright I guess it is my own fault…</em> How’s Yu doing, anyways? Kaoru’s been asking about her.”</p>
<p>“She misses you and Kaoru, but that’s to be expected. She’s gotten temperamental lately.”</p>
<p>“…Did she go missing again.”</p>
<p>“…Yes. …It seems to be a recurring weakness of mine.” </p>
<p>Kagami gave a tired sigh. “I’ll help you find her.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p><hr/>
<p>“So Kagami is Here? In France?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but I think your dad and him need to work out their issues, first.”</p>
<p>Yu gave Daisuke an annoyed look. “Yu has missed Kagami, and <em>Yu Also knows if she runs at Kagami, he will catch her</em>.”</p>
<p>“I wanna believe you but-”</p>
<p>And then the girl was off.</p>
<p>“YU-CHAN, WAIT!”</p><hr/>
<p>“<em>Let Yu be right, Let Yu be right</em>-” thought the child anxiously as she dashed off into the night.</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami didn’t know how he got himself into these things, honestly.</p>
<p>But here he was looking for his… ex… well… whatever they were’s daughter.</p>
<p>Kagami could only imagine how Yu was taking all this.</p>
<p>She’d had a breakdown from all that had happened, one she’d only Just begun to work through.</p>
<p>Another massive change, like being uprooted to Paris, and the “breakup” could not have helped her.</p>
<p>and then he heard the clacking of Geta.</p>
<p>“<em><strong>Kagami!</strong></em>”</p>
<p>Ah, there she was. (Of <em>course</em> Tendou had dressed her in traditional wear, as well.)</p>
<p>An out of breath Daisuke was chasing after her.</p>
<p>“HOW! IS! SHE! SO! FAST!”</p>
<p>“Practice” said Yu, before she LAUNCHED herself into Kagami’s arms.</p>
<p>Of course, his muscle memory had still kicked in, and he caught her.</p>
<p>Yu looked very happy to realize this.</p>
<p>…Had she been nervous?</p><hr/>
<p>The Parisians who’d been witness to all of this were relieved at least One of these Japanese tourists was <em>slightly</em> normal.</p>
<p>At least, <em>comparatively</em> normal for the Kabuto group, who were <em>rapidly</em> becoming local cryptids.</p><hr/>
<p>Yu said nothing while Kagami continued holding her, just clinging to his shirt with one hand.</p>
<p>“Your dad’s worried about you.”</p>
<p>“…Yu wasn’t going to be gone long. …She just got lost and then she saw Daisuke-san. And he said you were here. And Daisuke-san’s <em>very</em> slow.” </p>
<p>(“<em>Hey</em>!”) </p>
<p>“…Yu has missed Kagami, she’s missed him so much. …Yu thinks Papa misses him too. …But Yu doesn’t know anything anymore… Yu thought Kagami and Papa were happy. Yu thought she knew Papa too, she knows Papa only looks fondly at people like Kagami, Auntie Hiyori, and Auntie Jyuka, or Yu herself.”</p>
<p>“Well, we’re good friends, Yu-” began Kagami, to try to explain to the <em>very</em> small child that just because her dad wasn’t <em>Dating</em> him she’d still see him and Kaoru.</p>
<p>“Yu <em>Knows</em>! Kaoru <em>asked</em> Papa! And <em>she</em> said <em>he</em> said Kagami and him were friends! <em>But</em> Yu Knows that Papa’s sisters aren’t <em>just</em> friends though… But it’s not like Yu would know, Papa never had friends before Yu was born, Yu just has Kaoru and Kagami…” said the very, very confused and upset toddler.</p>
<p>Both adults went quiet.</p>
<p>“…-wait… He’s never had friends… And he said his feelings hadn’t changed since you guys hooked up, you said?” asked Daisuke.</p>
<p>Kagami gave a nod.</p>
<p>“Papa hasn’t <em>Dated</em> like Daisuke-san, either. Auntie Jyuka said so. Said Papa wasn’t interested.” Said Yu.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I remember that.” Said Kagami, reflecting on one of the times he’d gone to Tendou’s home after they’d slept together, and ‘<em>Dated</em>.’</p>
<p>“There’s a term for this, I think it just became a thing… demi… something.”</p>
<p>“Demisexual?” said Yu.</p>
<p>“Yeah! -Wait, kid, where did you hear this? How Are you talking this much anyways?”</p>
<p>“Yu did a lot of watching, and also reading, and ‘googling’ while Yagu-san, Kage-san and then Kagami slept.”</p>
<p>Both adults stared, before deciding to move on.</p>
<p>“Kagami. I am <em>too</em> tired for this. But you two <em>Really</em> need to talk. Just go look up the term first.”</p>
<p>Kagami could only nod.</p>
<p>“I’ll get Yu to her dad at least.”</p><hr/>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“I know you’ve missed me, but your dad’s having a heart attack over you going off alone again. I saw him using Kabuto to try and find you.”</p>
<p>“…Yu just needed a walk, and Papa was asleep for once, and she didn’t want to wake him… It’s just… crowded, and Yu is tired and not home.” said the toddler.</p>
<p>“…Please tell me you haven’t-”</p>
<p>“…Yu has had an easier time sleeping since That time. But it’s still hard for Yu… and Papa hasn’t been Sleeping like he did before he and Kagami made each other sad.” said the toddler, who was looking closer and closer to falling asleep.</p>
<p>“…Yu is trying to keep awake so she can apologize to Papa… but Kagami is very comfy. And she missed him.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Yu. I’ll let your dad know you’re sorry, just get some sleep. And it’s okay to not know or understand him. You’re barely over a year old. I’m in my 20’s and I barely understand him at the best of times.”</p>
<p>“Yu still… Yu knows that… Yu likes Kagami, Yu has always liked Kagami. …Kaoru wanted Papa to also be Her Papa. Yu wants Kagami to be her Papa together with Papa too…”</p>
<p>Kagami said nothing, and rubbed her back.</p>
<p>Eventually he broke the silence, as Yu finally dozed off against him.</p>
<p>“…Get some sleep, Yu.”</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou stared at Kagami, who was holding a sleeping Yu.</p>
<p>There was still a few seconds left of Clock up left.</p>
<p>He’d seen <em>this </em>visual before, Kagami holding Yu.</p>
<p>But something about this time. How… tenderly he looked at his daughter as she slept against him.</p>
<p>Maybe it was due to how long it had been since he’d last seen this.</p>
<p>But… </p>
<p>It made him feel… <em>Something</em>. </p>
<p>That feeling he’d been unable to place properly, beyond ‘Still very much not familial or purely platonic.’</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>CLOCK OVER</em>
  </strong>
</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami looked up, jumping a bit.</p>
<p>Yu remained asleep.</p>
<p>“Daisuke found her. …Well, more like she found him. Apparently she went for a walk and got lost.”</p>
<p>“<em>Ah</em>. I see.”</p>
<p>“…She tried to stay awake. Apparently, I’m <em>Comfy</em>, she said.”</p>
<p>“She likes you. She’s had a good sense of it, even before I started to find you interesting… Before we became friends”</p>
<p>“…Tendou. Before we… I need to ask. What <em>Exactly</em> Do you feel for me?”</p>
<p>“It isn’t something you’d be able to understand, and besides, Grandmother said: ‘<em>Once you know the real thing… you won’t be fooled by an imitation</em>.’”</p>
<p>“Tendou. I’ve been in love before. I can at least try-”</p>
<p>“I’m <strong>not</strong> in love with you.”</p>
<p>“…Tendou, no offense but, you’d also never had <em>friends</em> before me.”</p>
<p>Tendou glared at him, which was to be expected.</p>
<p>“…Just… is the reason you started calling us friends and talking about our bond and all that… is that because Kaoru <em>Asked</em> you?”</p>
<p>“It was the closest I’d come to what my feelings were. And yet, that was wrong in the end, since I’d lusted after you. And I know the latter feelings came first in any case. -It was part of why I followed you around so much, and not solely that I’d wanted to be rivals with you.”</p>
<p>“Wait what-”</p>
<p>“-And then things deepened from there. Around when you became Gattack if we’re being ‘Honest.’ …I think that time with Shadow and the trial, where we met Renge… was my attempt to <em>court</em> you. I also know these feelings deepened yet again after we both agreed to kill the other if the red shoes system became active again.”</p>
<p>“…I had no idea. -I have… a really hard time understanding you at the Best of Times, Tendou.”</p>
<p>“And yet you still fell in love. …<em>When</em> did <em>you</em> fall in love? If we’re admitting these things to one another?”</p>
<p>“Well if we’re asking when I fell in love… I think it was- no, I’m sure of it. It was that time I went to save you from trying to kill yourself to save Hiyori. -Which, by the way, fuck you for doing that the same week my father in law died and Not telling me you were planning that.”</p>
<p>“It was the only way I could see that would work at the time. I was not in a good state. …And why <em>Then</em>?”</p>
<p>Kagami blushed.</p>
<p>“…You smiled at me. I’d seen it before. Usually around your sisters, or Yu but… I’d never realized how much I’d loved it till then.”</p>
<p>“And yet you <em>knew</em> it was Love.”</p>
<p>“It… wasn’t that different from when I fell in love with Hinata, back then. It felt good to be in love again. I didn’t think I’d <em>Ever</em> feel that way again, after… what happened to her.” </p>
<p>“…How were you <em>sure</em> it wasn’t friendship?”</p>
<p>“I’ve had <em>friends</em> before, Tendou. You know, like Hiyori, Misaki, Tadokoro. Being in love… It feels <em>different</em>. Deeper. And they both feel good. It feels Good to be in love romantically, Tendou.”</p>
<p>“…I still cannot explain what I feel for you. I might not ever be able to. For all we know, it might not even be romantic in nature.”</p>
<p>“That’s… there might be a term for this. Demiromantic or demisexual. -It’s apparently a new term. It’s… it’s on the asexuality spectrum. You said that you’d basically never experienced sexual attraction before me, and we started as friends first. I just… you drive me crazy, and yet I want to be with you. I’ve never dated another guy or even fallen for one…”</p>
<p>“And what if I <em>still</em> say no?”</p>
<p>“Then I’ll move on. I just. I wanted you to know. …I’ve missed you. And we never really… well, <em>talked</em> about this. Any of this.”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Jyuka and Yu both think I’m in love with you. As did a man I was forced to interact with on the plane here. I’ve never had the easiest time with emotions. Not that I needed to be, in the first place.”</p>
<p>Kagami cut him off before he made another path of heaven speech. “Is… is it <em>really</em> so bad if they’re right?”</p>
<p>Tendou was quiet for a time.</p>
<p>Kagami braced himself for a quote from Tendou’s grandmother.</p>
<p>(He’d never met the woman. He really did wonder exactly how at least a <em>few</em> of those quotes of hers had actually come up, along with how young Tendou had been when she’d taken him in.)</p>
<p>“…It would not be. But what if they’re all wrong?”</p>
<p>“Do you <em>Want</em> them to be wrong? Besides… didn’t you- well okay didn’t your grandma, once say ‘If I wish for it, fate will always be my ally.’?”</p>
<p>“No, I do not. …And you’re right. Our bond is stronger than that, stronger even than fate. And… I would rather continue to walk the path of heaven <em>with </em>you, than without you.” Tendou pointed to the sky. “Grandmother once said: ‘<em>A bond is a deep connection that can never be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are still connected</em>.’”</p>
<p>(Kagami was fairly certain he’d heard that one before, actually. But it was hopeful to hear. He just needed to ask…)</p>
<p>“…Then-”</p>
<p>“I’m willing to <em>try</em> dating you. Or, <em>continue</em> dating you if that is what you prefer.”</p>
<p>“Let’s go with ‘try’, since you said you didn’t realize the first time.”</p>
<p>“So be it. Do you have a hotel room?”</p>
<p>“…I was planning to just find a cheap motel-”</p>
<p>“No, you won’t, you once said that being friends and lovers were not exclusive. I will Not have my lover <em>Or</em> my Friend sleep in a motel, especially with how much Yu has missed you.”</p>
<p>“I mean we just agreed to-” </p>
<p>(And Tendou still seemed like he was hiding <em>Something</em> from him… if only he knew <em>What</em>. It wasn’t gender identity or sexuality related at least, Kagami could tell That much. Tendou, while not a very open person, didn’t exactly hide that he’d given birth to Yu himself, or that’ he’d had sex with two Other men in the past.)</p>
<p>But then Tendou was dragging him off, as he was prone to doing.</p>
<p>This time by the hand.</p>
<p>“Wait! My Luggage!” Kagami barely managed to get out.</p><hr/>
<p>Shouichi and Agito-chan watched from afar.</p>
<p>“Well, I’m glad things worked out for them.”</p>
<p>Agito gave a nod.</p><hr/>
<p>“You should sleep.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine.”</p>
<p>“…I’d argue this more, but I’m about to drop. Just… promise me you’ll at least try to sleep. Yu’s been worrying about you.”</p>
<p>“Get some sleep, Kagami.”</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou looked over at the sleeping Kagami and Yu. Tendou ran one of his hands lightly over Kagami and Yu’s hair.</p>
<p>Both were peaceful, the toddler clinging to Kagami’s shirt as she slept.</p>
<p>As Tendou watched them, he began mulling over his feelings, and his memories from both timelines.</p>
<p>…<em>Ah</em>. He’d been wrong, <em>again</em>.</p>
<p>The original Kagami throwing himself in the path of the gold rider’s Rider Kick… </p>
<p><em>That</em> had been the start of his feelings for both versions of Kagami.</p>
<p>He’d used Hyper Clock Up for the first time to save his life after all, in both worlds. Not there had been time for him to realize back then.</p>
<p>Tendou looked over, out of the window at the Paris skyline and began to speak.</p>
<p>“…Is this alright? …If these feelings are <em>indeed</em> love… <em>Romantic</em> Love… Is it alright that I have them? …Hiyori… …Kagami…?” he asked this of the Hiyori and Kagami of the other timeline, needing some sort of sign, <em>Any</em> sort of sign that he could stop feeling guilty over this. Over how he’d fallen in love with a man who should have been <em>Just</em> his brother in law in a timeline that had not come to pass.</p>
<p>It was rare for him to not be confident about something, but he was at the end of his rope after a year of this.</p>
<p>(And while he would Never admit it to himself, dealing with people was a noted weakness of his, as his friends and family would tell you.)</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami was out with Yu the next day, Tendou had commitments, and while they weren’t the kind that didn’t let him take her with him, it was probably better that she get to spend the time with Kagami.</p>
<p>Besides, Yu had missed him dearly. (She also missed Kaoru, but Kagami couldn’t pull his daughter out of school to take her to a place she didn’t even know the language for. Much to her distress.)</p>
<p>They were looking for things to bring back home to their loved ones. Like, in Kagami’s case, his daughter. (Older daughter, eventually, if this worked out.)</p>
<p>“Yu thinks Kagami should get Kaoru sweets.”</p>
<p>“Tendou’s still not letting you eat sugar yet, huh?”</p>
<p>Yu pouted. “No, Papa is not letting Yu have sugar yet, or hotcakes, or Soup, which is what Yu really, <em>really</em> wants. ‘Cause Auntie Jyuka really loves Papa’s cooking and Yu wants to try it but she’s too little. And Papa always starts talking about something Baa-chan told him.” said the little girl with an annoyed tone.</p>
<p>Kagami chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s eating Tendou up inside that you can’t eat his cooking quite yet.”</p>
<p>Yu gave him a fond smile. “Kagami is right about that, Yu knows how much Papa loves cooking and food, after all. And Baa-chan said: ‘<em>It is enjoyable to eat something delicious, but the greatest joy comes from the time spent waiting for it</em>.’ …But Yu still wants some now…”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Kagami?”</p>
<p>“Sorry, just thinking about things. Adult things-”</p>
<p>“About Papa?” said Yu with a look.</p>
<p>“…You are way, <em>way</em> too smart for your age.”</p>
<p>Yu smiled.</p>
<p>“Kagami is right though, Papa is hard to understand, and Papa is bad with other people. …Yu is sorry Papa was rude to Kagami though, Yu is also sorry if she was rude to Kagami.”</p>
<p>“You’re a good girl, Yu.”</p>
<p>“Yu tries. Even if she still feels she’s a little on the path of hell.”</p>
<p>“<em>…The hoppers really did a number on you, huh…</em>” he muttered quietly.</p>
<p>“Yu remembers once, A real real long time ago. Papa took her to the beach. He said,” She pointed to the sky “‘I’m really glad you get to see this.’ …He sounded sad. If Yu remembers right.”</p>
<p>“…Huh. That’s… weird, even for him.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SailorCresselia here! Yes, the chapter count changed. We realized that one of the upcoming plots would be better off as more of a standalone chapter, instead of being part of this one.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Behold More soup, this time it's a movie wars</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tendou was out on his own, his plans for the day dealt with.</p>
<p>He didn’t need more sleep, honestly, but he still felt drained.</p>
<p>It was probably the guilt eating away at him.</p>
<p>At least Yu didn’t have to see him like this. She had a good sense for things that were going on with him. </p>
<p>However, he didn’t want to burden her. She was approaching the age of two, she very much did not need this burden on her shoulders.</p>
<p>He stopped to rub at his eyes, feeling a wave of tiredness.</p>
<p>How <em>dare</em> his body disobey him like this. He’d gotten plenty of sleep. Anymore and he would waste the day away.</p>
<p>(Tendou had not, in fact, gotten enough sleep.)</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou gave a blank stare to the costumed mooks, before easily taking them out with Clock Up.</p>
<p>Still transformed, he pressed a hand to his face.</p>
<p>He could have done that more efficiently… <em>Why</em> wasn’t his body obeying him?</p>
<p>And then the kajin appeared behind him.</p>
<p>Before he could activate Clock Up - his reflexes were simply not working to his standards - he was knocked out.</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami held Yu, the toddler resting against him.</p>
<p>He’d been trying to call Tendou for the last 20 minutes, to no success, even though Tendou had been fairly clear when claiming he was fine.</p>
<p>Kagami had his doubts, though, so he went out searching.</p>
<p>Hopefully Tendou hadn’t passed out somewhere.</p>
<p>That’s when he saw the Kaijin.</p>
<p>Aw, crap.</p><hr/>
<p>“So let Yu have this clear, Papa got kidnapped?”</p>
<p>“Yes”</p>
<p>Yu looked thoughtful as Kagami went to go find where Tendou had been taken.</p>
<p>“Yu believes Papa can free himself, but Kagami should go help him anyways. Papa hasn’t slept well lately.”</p><hr/>
<p>It took <em>hours</em> to get to where Tendou had been taken.</p>
<p>He lost the <em>entire day</em> on this. Kagami only <em>had</em> a week in Paris, and he was going to have to go back home soon. </p>
<p>While he and Tendou’s situation had massively improved… There was still <em>something</em> clearly weighing on Tendou, and he didn’t want either of them to Die before they worked that out.</p><hr/>
<p>“…And so, you shall become one of our greatest weapons once we’re through.”</p>
<p>Tendou gave a tired stare to the Shocker scientists.</p>
<p>“Are you done?” he asked, bored, despite being restrained. He was chained to the wall, with some diodes attached to his temples. </p>
<p>He could handle this. It wasn’t the first time he’d been restrained and ready to be tortured, nor did he assume it would be the last.</p>
<p>“You won’t be so casual after this.” said the lead scientist, before turning the electricity on.</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami looked up upon hearing the screaming, Yu in his arms looking deeply worried.</p>
<p>He began running, slapping the belt onto himself, the Gattack Zector flying to him.</p>
<p>“TENDOU!”</p><hr/>
<p>“You remember our contract?”</p>
<p>“Of course, of course.”</p>
<p>“Good. Now, use his memories.”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Tendou’s eyes went wide. “NO-”</p><hr/>
<p>The Shocker scientist, and the Imajin he had contracted with, stared at the images playing out on the monitor. </p>
<p>“What the hell is all of this- OH FUCK!”</p><hr/>
<p>“TENDOU!!” Kagami burst into the room, blades drawn, before freezing at the scene in front of him. </p>
<p>Tendou was chained to the wall, screaming in agony, being repeatedly shocked with jolts of electricity. Some sort of wires were hooked up to him, leading to a series of monitors. On those monitors…</p>
<p>That’s - that was <em>the two of them</em>, but where <em>are</em> they? Was that some sort of lab or - wait that was an <em>airlock</em> - “W-what, what is this-”</p>
<p>“DON’T!” Tendou yelled, gasping for air between shocks. “DON’T, YOU DON’T NEED TO- YOU <em>CAN’T</em>! GAAA-!” Another jolt cut him off.</p>
<p>The monitors flickered, changing to show the basement in Area X, the same place they had lost Hiyori from. That Other Tendou, the copy, is chained there, similarly to how Tendou was now. Negishi is saying something about experiments and Dark Kabuto having been <em>made</em> to copy Tendou.</p>
<p>Yu whimpered from where she was merged with the suit. Yeah, Kagami could absolutely agree with <em>that</em> sentiment. </p>
<p>Panting, Tendou glared at the Shocker scientists, and at the monster in here that Kagami had <em>completely</em> missed, because there was a <em>lot</em> to take in there.  “I <em>WON’T</em> LET <em>ANYONE ELSE</em> GO THROUGH THIS! I AM THE MAN WHO WALKS THE PATH OF HEAVEN, IF THERE’S ANYONE WHO CAN SHOULDER THIS BURDEN IT SHOULD BE I AND I <em>ALONE</em>! <em><strong>AAAAAAAAAA!!!</strong></em>”</p>
<p>Another burst of electricity, longer and seemingly stronger this time, hit him.</p>
<p>The Hyper Zector appeared - not next to Tendou, but next to <em>Kagami</em>. It was obvious what he had to do.</p>
<p>After all, his boyfriend, or lover, or whatever one called what they were, was screaming in agony. Years and <em>years</em> worth of secrets and <em>guilt</em> were being forced out of him. </p>
<p>They could unpack whatever that alternate timeline was, and the stuff about Dark Kabuto, later.</p>
<p>Right now, the priority was stopping these <em>bastards</em> and getting Tendou <em>out of here</em>.</p>
<p>“<em><strong>TENDOU</strong></em>! You have to stop trying to do <em>everything</em> by yourself! It’s <em>literally</em> going to kill you!”</p>
<p>“NOBODY ELSE CAN- <em>AAAAGH</em>!”</p>
<p>“<em>STOP IT</em>! You can’t keep trying to carry all these burdens on your own! Even if you <em>are</em> a big man, who will protect even the smallest of amoeba, <em>you don’t have to do it on your own</em>! THAT’S WHAT HAVING A <em><strong>PARTNER </strong></em>IS ALL ABOUT!”</p>
<p>He barks out a short laugh, sizing up the number of mooks that had made their way into the room. He’d fought more overwhelming numbers. He could take them.</p>
<p>“I know I’m not as strong as you. I doubt I’ll <em>ever</em> be as strong as you, or even able to beat you in a <em>proper</em> fight, but… SOUJI!”</p>
<p>Kagami grabbed the Hyper Zector.</p>
<p>“I’M HERE FOR YOU, YOU’RE NOT ALONE! OUR BOND IS STRONG!”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>HYPER CAST OFF</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>CHANGE HYPER STAG BEETLE</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>While Kagami… ‘dealt with’ the combatmen, the scientists fled, as did the monster they were working with. (He thought he heard the term ‘imajin’, but wasn’t sure.) </p>
<p>Whatever. He could handle <em>them</em> later.</p>
<p>There were more important matters to deal with.</p>
<p>“Hold still, I’ll get you down from there.”</p>
<p>Tendou didn’t reply, instead just giving a small nod.</p>
<p>Kagami readied his blades, and sliced through the chains. The very moment there was nothing holding him up, Tendou dropped to the floor in a heap. </p>
<p>“Tendou!” Kagami ran to help the other man up, dropping his transformation.</p>
<p>“…<em>Souji</em>. I want you to call me Souji now.” Tend- <em>Souji</em> said, sounding Utterly exhausted.</p>
<p>Kagami nodded. “…Then, I want you to call me <em>Arata.</em>”</p><hr/>
<p>They were resting on the hotel bed, with Yu sound asleep in the other room.</p>
<p>Tendou was far, <em>far</em> too exhausted to sit up. He had transformed when they were making their way out of the base, taking advantage of the short second wind the armor granted to be able to walk for… a short time. Long enough to get outside, leaning heavily on Kagami the entire way. Transforming had helped to begin healing the worst of his injuries, as well. But, without the armor, his energy levels were back down to nearly none. The lack of sleep over the last few months… hadn’t helped matters.</p>
<p>So, instead of being upright in any manner, he had his head in Kagami’s lap.</p>
<p>Kagami’s hand was going through his hair, as Tendou finished his retelling of the other timeline.</p>
<p>“…That all sounds insane. But… it also sounds about right for Zect and my dad, with what I know now.”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“…So, I really didn’t have Kaoru in that timeline…? And You didn’t have Yu…?”</p>
<p>“…You mentioned your lover was sailing when the Shibuya meteor hit. …She would have likely been doing the same in the original timeline.”</p>
<p>“…No matter what timeline, I lose Hinata, and fall for a Kusakabe, huh…”</p>
<p>“I stopped being Souji Kusakabe long ago.”</p>
<p>“You know what i mean… <em>Souji.</em>”</p>
<p>“Also, trust me, I’m pretty sure Hiyori and I are <em>never</em> happening in this timeline. We’re friends, but… well, we had a much different last …what, 8 Years at this point? A different 8 years then they did. And I’ve got Kaoru.”</p>
<p>Kagami smiles. “…As far as second loves go, I’m glad it was Hiyori or You, but right now. I’m very, <em>very</em> glad it’s you.”</p>
<p>Tendou gave a non committal noise, his eyes shut, his face relaxed at least.</p>
<p>“…You were right, this <em>does</em> feel nice.”</p>
<p>Things were silent for a time.</p>
<p>And then Tendou spoke again.</p>
<p>“We should get married.”</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t that be my line?”</p>
<p>“…<em>Arata.</em>”</p>
<p>“I’m not saying no.”</p><hr/>
<p>“I want to have sex.”</p>
<p>“Really? But-”</p>
<p>“Consider it a chance for me to see what you’ll be like in control.”</p>
<p>Kagami gave a very flustered blush.</p><hr/>
<p>When they woke up the next morning, Kagami immediately blushed. Tendou, of course, immediately woke up as soon as Kagami moved. Of course, it would have been hard for him to <em>not</em> notice even the slightest shift, with how he was clinging tightly to Kagami. It looked like he had been doing so since they fell asleep.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you’re alright?”</p>
<p>“For now, it seems.”</p>
<p>“And the clinging?”</p>
<p>“My daughter is right, you are incredibly comfortable.”</p><hr/>
<p>“…Please stop blocking the door.”</p>
<p>“No way. You are staying <em>right here</em>, and <em>resting</em>.” Kagami gave Tendou a stern look. “<em>I</em> will go get the bread for today. You told me which bakery you’ve been using, I can handle it just fine.”</p>
<p>Tendou sighed in resignation. “If you insist. At least take Yu with you. The bakers are fond of her.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Ah, there you are. You’re the one who foiled our plans yesterday.”</p>
<p>“Wha-”</p><hr/>
<p>“Yu was really hoping that things would be less… scary, once the Worms were gone.”</p>
<p>“Me too, Yu.” Kagami sighed. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought Yu with him, after all. Not when he’d very definitely angered Shocker the day before. If he’d just thought ahead, and left her back at the hotel with Tendou, she wouldn’t have been captured with him, and wouldn’t have to be stuck in this cell. “Are you okay, did they hurt you?”</p>
<p>“Yu is fine… is Kagami okay? Yu heard him screaming.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine, they just took my Zector. Probably got mad about Hyper Gattack…”</p>
<p>Yu hugged him.</p><hr/>
<p>Kotaro Nogami sat quietly in her cell, pulling her knees up close and singing something she’d heard on the radio recently.</p>
<p>
  <em>“~Jikan no nami wo tsukamaete
Ima sugu ni ikou yakusoku no basho
Genkai mugen iza tobikome…~”</em>
</p>
<p>Someone joined in with her on the last verse. “…Aniki?”</p>
<p>“Lets Escape Together, Ko-Nee-chan!” A sandy form took shape in front of her. Oh, she hadn’t actually seen him before now, had she?</p>
<p>“…Yeah!”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>GUN FORM</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>“…Hey, Yu, do you hear Music?”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>II JAN! II JAN! SUGEE JAN! II JAN! II JAN! SUGEE JAN!</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>Yu looked thoughtful, before hopping down from Kagami’s lap and holding her arm up.</p>
<p>“Yu?”</p>
<p>TheBee Zector flew to her.</p>
<p>Yu pat it fondly and snapped it to the brace that she somehow <em>still</em> had.</p>
<p>“Henshin”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>CAST OFF</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>CHANGE WASP</em>
  </strong>
</p><hr/>
<p>“Yu, let’s… not tell Souji about this just yet.”</p>
<p>“Yu knows.” Said Yu, breaking down the doors to the cells that held the other children. Kagami was occupied with shooting down the combatmen Den-O had missed.</p><hr/>
<p>“ARATA!”</p>
<p>“SOUJI!”</p>
<p>Yu transformed back before Tendou could see her. “Papa!”</p>
<p>Multiple other Kamen Riders followed Tendou, before being glomped by their respective children.</p>
<p>Except Takumi Inui who had no child.</p>
<p>He almost felt left out, but it was fine. He’d die anytime now</p><hr/>
<p>“So, who’s kid <em>is</em> this if she’s not Takkun’s?” Someone asked about the extra toddler.</p>
<p>“Her clothes say her name is… Yui Kido? Does anyone recognize that?”</p>
<p>“…Did something happen in 2002 that we didn’t know about, or did Shocker fuck up the math?”</p>
<p>“Please don’t swear in front of the children.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Kagami picked up Yui. “Guess I’ll look after her until we find her folks.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Ko-chan! Oh, thank god, are you okay, you’re not hurt, are you?! I was so worried-”</p>
<p>“‘M okay.” Ko-chan holds the belt back out to Ryoutaro. “Sorry… I was looking at it…”</p>
<p>“It’s alright, I’m just glad you’re safe.” He hugs her tightly. As he puts the belt back around his waist, he freezes for a moment, before his mannerisms change entirely. </p>
<p>“Ko-chan!” </p>
<p>“Papa Momo!”</p>
<p>“…Nogami-san…?” Someone asks warily. “Are you okay…?”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it.” ‘Ryoutaro’ shook his head, before turning back to Ko-chan, patting her on the head. “Good job holding onto the belt, kiddo. I’d hate to think about what those Shocker freaks could do with time travel.”</p>
<p>Tendou and Kagami both hoped that nobody noticed the small sounds of distress they made.</p><hr/>
<p>“…We were about to go get Pizza.” Mirai Godai pouted, having been pulled all the way from Japan to her dad’s rider form in order to lend him her power.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I tried to hold back as long as I could. Would my curry help?” apologized Godai.</p>
<p>“…A little” she said softly.</p>
<p>“Hey, try the croissants.” said Kenzaki, trying to help.</p>
<p>“What’s a croissant?”</p>
<p>And then everyone heard Kenzaki’s daughter, who nobody was sure whether she was adopted or not, gush about croissants.</p>
<p>“…That sounds good.”</p>
<p>“They have sweets too!” said Yu</p><hr/>
<p>Shinji Kido had managed to win a trip to Paris, and had somehow gotten wrapped up in some sort of ‘Kamen Rider’ related mess. All of the Riders were about to transform.</p>
<p>If only he could have helped them… </p>
<p>It didn’t help that someone had kidnapped his young daughter, Yui. Miyuki was going to kill him if he found out about this… </p>
<p>-And then something hit him in the back of the head, and clattered onto the pavement.</p>
<p>It looked like some sort of watch, with a red and grey mask on it.</p>
<p>It had a label, too… ‘2002: Ryuki’.</p>
<p>He felt the sudden calling to turn it.</p><hr/>
<p><em><strong>The Rider Battle in the Mirror World! The red dragon Rider is…</strong></em> ( the noise of a Clock ticking noise) <em><strong>Ryuki!</strong></em></p><hr/>
<p>“So, there’s seven of us, huh?” said Momotaros, currently possessing Ryoutaro Nogami and wearing Ko-chan in a carrier, because she had refused to stay behind, being one of the two who had.</p>
<p>“Looks like it. Well, six of you, but this thing I got says ‘Ryuki’ was 2002.” said Shinji Kido, who had transformed using the watch-like object. (A “Ride” watch if you will)</p>
<p>“Seems like it.”</p>
<p>“We have <em>more</em> than enough for a sentai, don’t we?” said Yusuke Godai. (He’d met a ranger in the past. …Well, a little <em>More</em> than met.)</p>
<p>“So, what would we be called?” asked Tendou, changing the subject, not wanting to bring up his brief meeting with Bouken Red and his child.</p>
<p>“Oh! I know! <strong>Kamen Sentai Gorider</strong>!” said Shouichi Tsugami, pulling a showy pose.</p>
<p>“That’s Fucking Stupid.” said Takumi Inui.</p>
<p>“No.” said Kazuma Kenzaki at the same time</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey!” Hibiki waved at the other Riders as he jogged up to them. “Mind if I help?”</p>
<p>“Okay, there’s eight of us, then.”</p>
<p>“Kamen Rider Sentai, <em>Kamen Rider Sentai~</em>!”</p>
<p>“We’re <em>not</em> going by ‘Gorider’.”</p>
<p>“Kamen Sentai Gorider? I like the sound of that.” said Hibiki. Unlike most of the Riders here, he was in an organization of people who respected and worked well with each other, so of course he was down for this.</p>
<p>Shouichi was delighted.</p>
<p>Tendou frowned. “You are forgetting my <em>partner</em>, who rescued <em>all of our children</em>-”</p>
<p>“Which we are <em>very</em> grateful for, but he’s busy watching them to make sure they’re safe, so he’s not fighting right now.”</p>
<p>“<em>Fine</em>, eight of us are <em>here right now</em>, nine in <em>total</em>. Are any <em>more</em> Riders going to show up, or can we go kick some butt already?!”</p><hr/>
<p>And then Kagami arrived.</p>
<p>Because of course he did.</p>
<p>“Yes! Nine!”</p>
<p>“Ka-”</p>
<p>“We’re still not using the name, Tsugami.”</p>
<p>“Awww…”</p><hr/>
<p>Facing off against nine Kamen Riders at once, the majority of whom were <em>furious</em> about having had their children kidnapped, proved to be far too much for the Shocker cell that had made Paris their base of operations.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey, did anyone see where Kido got to?”</p>
<p>“He kind of looked really pale after we all left our transformations. You think he’s okay?”</p>
<p>“He’s probably fine.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami had returned home to Tokyo. He had a child and a career to deal with, after all.</p>
<p>He and Tendou had been maintaining contact through nightly phone calls.</p>
<p><em>Very consistently</em> scheduled nightly phonecalls.</p>
<p>(Honestly, it was cute how determined Tendou was to be a good partner. He stuck to the schedule to the point of even calling <em>in the middle of fights</em>, because of Course he did.)</p>
<p>“Arata, what would you say if I told you I was pregnant?”</p>
<p>Kagami went quiet, nearly dropping the cellphone and having to rush to catch it.</p>
<p>“Holy shit. That’s great, but are you sure <em>you’re</em> okay with… That?”</p>
<p>“Pregnancy isn’t enjoyable for <em>anyone</em> who’s experiencing it, let alone with either of our histories. But I would like to have your child, if <em>That</em> is what you are asking.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Oh, hey, you’re having another kid? Congrats! Agito and Yuki-chan were both surprises for me and Makoto.”</p>
<p>Tendou gave Shouichi a nod. He was still processing this latest development in his life. They stayed in silence at the table for a while, before Tendou noticed what Shouichi was eating.</p>
<p>“…And you’re eating an entire head of lettuce with your bare hands, <em>because</em>…?”</p>
<p>“Why not?”</p><hr/>
<p>Shouichi Tsugami had given Tendou and Yu the option to move in with him for the time being, for however long they stayed in Paris. Both men <em>were</em> staying there to study cuisine, after all. They got along quite well, to the surprise of most people who knew them. Others had expected that their <em>very</em> different personalities would clash, but it wound up working out stunningly.</p>
<p>As long as Tendou ignored Shouichi’s more… unconventional habits, at least.</p><hr/>
<p>“Shouichi. It is 3 am. <em>Why</em> are you-”</p>
<p>“I dunno. I just really really wanted hotcakes. Surprised you’re actually awake.”</p>
<p>“I will let the fact that you are eating them with your <em>bare hands</em> go, if you share.”</p>
<p>“Ah, it’s like that, huh? Yeah, sure.”</p>
<p>Shouichi had quickly realized that Tendou tended to dissociate if made to think too deeply about the whole being pregnant thing, and when he <em>Did</em> think about it, he would absolutely shut down and stop talking.</p>
<p>It wasn’t like Shouichi could get pregnant, himself, (even if his <em>own</em> kids had been spat out as eggs), but he could relate to having something he wanted to avoid thinking about at all costs.</p>
<p>It was why he’d managed to get amnesia <em>Twice</em>, after all.</p>
<p>“Your poor kid. You’re not letting her have any sugar till she’s <em>two</em>? Really?!”</p>
<p>“I will not risk her health that early.”</p>
<p>“I mean you could at least let her have a Bite - and don’t quote your grandma at me. I know what she said. Besides, I’m pretty sure she could’ve at least had <em>soup</em> when she was, like, 9 months.”</p>
<p>“I am <em>not</em> risking her health. I couldn’t keep her from being traumatized. I can at least prevent her from getting ill from eating something too early.”</p>
<p>“You <em>Really</em> went through a lot with the worms, huh? Kinda hope you aren’t like that when she’s older, though.”</p>
<p>“Nearly all of my life so far was tied in some way to the worms and natives. And I <em>am</em> trying to make sure she at least can choose her own path in life.”</p>
<p>“I would’ve figured it’d be ‘the path of heaven Only’ for you.”</p>
<p>“Even if she and I <em>Are</em> the top percentage of humanity… I would rather that she grow up more like my sister Jyuka than like myself. I would prefer my child… <em>children</em> to be happy than to be forced into a life against their own will. As much as the lack of control over it all hurts, it is still <em>Healthier</em> than spending her life training with no apparent end-date, unable to pursue her own interests. <em>I</em> may have done it, and I would do it again without hesitation, but I would not wish it on my own daughter.”</p>
<p>Shouichi shoved over a large plate of hotcakes. “Did your grandma force <em>you</em> to do that? Because That’s fucked up.”</p>
<p>“I was chosen to become Kabuto. So, I trained to become worthy.”</p>
<p>“That… <em>isn’t</em> an answer.”</p>
<p>“My grandmother didn’t <em>force <strong>me</strong></em>to do <em>Anything</em>, and if you’re <em>implying-</em>”</p>
<p>“If that’s the case, than why are you trying so hard to keep Yu-chan from growing up the same way?”</p>
<p>“Her circumstances are different from mine. I was three. Yu would have been a <em>newborn</em> when put on that path.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami frowned in concern at his ringing phone. It was an international call, but this was definitely not when he and Tendou normally spoke. </p>
<p>It was definitely coming from France, though, so he answered. “Arata Kagami speaking.”</p>
<p>“Hey, so, I’m Shouichi, I’m Tendou’s roommate, and also one of the riders from the Paris stuff.”</p>
<p>“…You’re the one with the two kids who are nearly the same age but Weren’t twins, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s me. Thanks for rescuing Agito and Yuki-chan.”</p>
<p>“…No problem. So, why are you calling…?”</p>
<p>“…Have you and your fiance talked about the really <em>Really</em> messed up childhood he had?”</p>
<p>“…Not really. Everything was such a mess last year…”</p>
<p>“Soooo, I’m very much not a therapist. But you two <em>Really</em> need to talk about it, it’s pretty messed up.”</p><hr/>
<p>It wasn’t the first time Kagami had thought about therapy with regards to his fiance or his future stepchild.</p>
<p>Yu had dealt with so much in only her first year of life, and unfortunately she was much much too aware for her own good.</p>
<p>And then came Tendou’s roommate, Kamen Rider Agito, mentioning that Tendou himself could use some as well.</p>
<p>Kagami had only barely heard what the man himself had said of his childhood. (He’d mostly still been reeling from the Hiyori Situation.) Being pregnant on top of it would only make everything worse.</p>
<p>He’d have to bring this up to Tendou. At the very least, he knew the man was willing to <em>Bend</em> if it would help his daughter.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Oh, hey, you’re that path of heaven guy’s friend?”</p>
<p>Kagami gave an awkward laugh. Of <em>course</em> Tendou had come here, to this exact library.</p>
<p>“I mean, yeah.”</p>
<p>“That Poor fucking kid he had, single parents always raise shitty kids. Especially a fucking weirdo like that.”</p>
<p>“Don’t talk about Tendou-san and Yu-chan like that, <em>Or</em> My Dad like that!” said Kaoru, hopping up to be seen over the counter.</p>
<p>The man at the counter grimaced looking at her non functional eye.</p>
<p>“Oh damn, you’re a single parent too. Fucking hell that eye on her… Considering I never see your wife, I bet she ran off after taking one look at-”</p>
<p>Kagami didn’t let him finish.</p><hr/>
<p>"So, yeah, Daddy's… kind of giving a statement right now… Please don’t be mad at him and go to Another place far away.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Kaoru. I’m staying in Paris for another few months, and then I will come see you and Arata.”</p>
<p>“That’s-!! Daddy’s first name! You’re using Daddy’s first name!”</p>
<p>Tendou let out a fond noise over the phone line. “I think you’ll like what <em>else</em> I have to tell you.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kaoru squealed for a few minutes over getting to be a big sister.</p>
<p>It was nice - Tendou remembered doing the same when he’d been young, upon learning he’d have a younger sibling.</p>
<p>But then she went quiet.</p>
<p>“…Tendou-san… my mom died… when I was born… Mishima-san… and… the library guy… they said…”</p>
<p>“Kaoru-”</p>
<p>Kaoru sniffled and cut him off.</p>
<p>“Tendou-san… is it… is it my fault my mom died…? Is that why Dad avoids me, cause it's my fault <em>and</em> I look like mommy-”</p>
<p>“No, no it is not.” said Tendou, cutting her off.</p>
<p>There was more sniffling on the line before he continued.</p>
<p>“Your mother died because Mishima took advantage of her being in the situation she was in after giving birth to you, and killed her while she was recovering. Your father does not mean to avoid you. He works as hard as he does so that you can be safe and in a home. He treasures you <em>so much</em>, Kaoru.”</p>
<p>“I… I know, but… But… he also sent me away that time. A-and it got Mommy’s dad killed. …And… he didn’t take me to France with him, and I’m why you didn’t know you were in love with him-”</p>
<p>“That wasn’t your fault, Kaoru. It was me being very… unaware of my own feelings. You were right though, your father and I <em>are</em> friends, but we are also more than that. The two of us can be both at the same time. …And what happened with your grandfather wasn’t your fault either. Mishima wanted to hurt your father and would have done so even if you hadn’t been sent to him.”</p>
<p>“But I… I… put it into your head cause Daddy said not to bring up that I wanted you as a dad too.”</p>
<p>“…You were being a good girl. While it might have made things easier, I probably would have been too stubborn to have seen it that way. You were right to wait.”</p>
<p>Tendou could hear Kaoru continue sniffling over the phone.</p>
<p>It was a shame he was not physically there to try and Pat her on the head, or let her hug him.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh, but… but…”</p>
<p>“Tell me Kaoru, what time is it in Tokyo?”</p>
<p>“It’s… 5:52.”</p>
<p>“In the afternoon, correct?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>“In Paris, right now it is 9:52 in the morning, a difference of 8 hours. Kagami felt you would feel alienated in another timezone, away from your friends, and in a place where you didn’t speak the language, <em>especially</em> while the two of us worked out our feelings.”</p>
<p>“I… I mean, I guess…”</p>
<p>“You and your father should talk.”</p>
<p>“I… don’t wanna make him sad.”</p>
<p>“It makes him sadder when the people he loves hide things like this from him, and you’re included, Kaoru.”</p><hr/>
<p>“So, all of that happened. I talked to Kaoru. …And <em>we</em> need to talk. Souji, your childhood was a mess-”</p>
<p>“Arata. Don’t you <em>Dare</em> insult Grandmother. Or imply my choices were not my own like Tsugami has been. <em><strong>Did he put you up to this</strong></em>?”</p>
<p>“Souji, I’m not saying those things. Honestly, I can’t even start with all of that.”</p>
<p>“I will call you again tomorrow. I am too angry to maintain this conversation.”</p>
<p>“Souji-!”</p>
<p>The line went dead.</p><hr/>
<p>Yu glared at her Papa.</p>
<p>“Call Kagami back.”</p>
<p>“Yu-”</p>
<p>“Call. Kagami. Back. Yu is not going through that again.”</p>
<p>“Fine, but he likely will not answer.”</p>
<p>Kagami did, in fact, answer.</p><hr/>
<p>“Look, can you at least keep your mind <em>open to</em> the idea?”</p>
<p>“Maybe. If Yu has another bout of… being like she was, then I will allow it. But <em>I</em> do not need it.”</p>
<p>“Just… see how she does with it first, then.”</p>
<p>“Alright.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey there, Yu-chan. What’re you up to?” asked Shouichi to the toddler</p>
<p>Yu was currently playing with a kitchen playset she’d been given by Agito. (Shouichi didn’t know <em>How</em> she had gotten it, but he and Tendou had made sure it was safe for the kids.)</p>
<p>“Practicing.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“Papa says Yu is allowed to eat big food when she’s two. Yu is practicing her manners.” She said confidently, before going quiet for a few moments.</p>
<p>“Papa’s busy getting ready for the baby. Yu shouldn’t bother him with this.”</p>
<p>“Hey now, don’t psych yourself out.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Tendou, isn’t Yu’s birthday coming up- oh, okay, we’re on the same brainwave, then.”</p>
<p>“I promised her I would let her eat many things when she was older. I am <em>keeping</em> that promise.”</p>
<p>“That’s a relief. The poor girl thinks you’re distracted by the baby.”</p>
<p>“I am, but that does not mean I would not ensure Yu has a good birthday.”</p>
<p>“Well, this is definitely one way to distract yourself. Need any help?”</p>
<p>“…Yes, actually. It is becoming more difficult to stand for long periods of time like this.”</p>
<p>“Gotcha. Need a hand with cake or something?”</p>
<p>“Thank you, I would very much appreciate that. However, do <em>not</em> put vegetables in the cake.”</p>
<p>“…Ah. Mana told you about that, didn’t she?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p><hr/>
<p>Yu yawned the next morning.</p>
<p>It was her birthday. Now she could finally try actual foods. Papa had been busy, though. She wasn’t expecting much, maybe some miso soup or rice.</p>
<p>She wandered towards the kitchen, bleary eyed.</p>
<p>Whatever her papa had made today smelled really nice, too.</p>
<p>“Morning, Yu-chan!” said Shouichi, picking her up.</p>
<p>“Mornin’ Tetsu-san…” she muttered, sleepily.</p>
<p>Shouichi let her rest a bit against his chest, and brought her into the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Happy birthday, Yu-chan.” he said, turning her around</p>
<p>“Good Morning Yu, happy birthday” said her dad.</p>
<p>Yu’s eyes widened as she saw her father and the full table.</p>
<p>He’d remembered!</p>
<p>Yu felt herself begin to start crying from all the emotions.</p>
<p>“PAPA REMEMBERED!” she said, sobbing.</p>
<p>Tendou’s eyes widened and he quickly went to go hold and calm Yu down.</p>
<p>“Give her a little bit, there’s a lot of emotions in this tiny package.” said Shouichi good naturedly, as he handed over the toddler.</p><hr/>
<p>After a bit of back rubbing, and rocking, Yu managed to calm down, though she was still a little sniffly.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I made you think I was too busy to do this.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, papa. Papa was busy with-”</p>
<p>“I made a promise to you, and I made sure I kept it.”</p>
<p>“Yes! Yu sees hotcakes, and Soup!”</p>
<p>“Of course. They were the foods you were most insistent on, after all.”</p><hr/>
<p>“How is it?”</p>
<p>“It’s Good!” said Yu happily, eating.</p>
<p>Tendou was unable to hide how happy he was.</p><hr/>
<p>"You should probably keep an eye on him. Last time that my big brother was in labour, he just <em>kept </em>training.”</p>
<p>“He <em>What.</em>”</p>
<p>“I made it to the hospital in time, now <em>didn’t</em> I?” said Tendou, over speaker phone.</p>
<p>“Yes, but you also scared the poor receptionist. Especially since <em>you drove yourself there</em>, while in <em>Labour</em>.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami spent the rest of the pregnancy in Paris, staying near Tendou’s side.</p>
<p>Which was fine by Tendou, but still… </p>
<p>“I will not have my IV poisoned with Worm venom, Arata.”</p>
<p>“I AM TAKING <em><strong>ZERO</strong></em> CHANCES! EVEN IF NO ONE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU, YOU ARE NOT EXACTLY <em><strong>FREE</strong></em> FROM BLAME IN THIS, SOUJI!”</p>
<p>“…I suppose that’s fair.”</p><hr/>
<p>“So… you have a <em>brother</em>? Who I’ve never heard of?”</p>
<p>“We aren’t related by blood, and he keeps to himself. But yes, he is my brother.”</p>
<p>“Huh. I kind of would’ve liked to have known this before.”</p>
<p>Tendou shakes his head. “It wouldn’t have been safe.”</p>
<p>“Really, though, I only find out about him a few <em>weeks</em> before the baby comes?”</p>
<p>“He is often busy.”</p>
<p>Kagami sighed.</p><hr/>
<p>“Buongiorno, Kagami-san. Souji’s told me quite a bit about you. …I’m so sorry for what you had to go through before now.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine. I wouldn’t be engaged if I hadn’t gone through all of that.”</p>
<p>A nod.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I actually didn’t catch your name earlier.” said Kagami to the very tall blond.</p>
<p>Were those curls… Donut-shaped?</p>
<p>“Giorno Giovanna.”</p>
<p>Kagami blinked. That <em>had</em> to be a fake name.</p><hr/>
<p>Well, as odd as he was, Giorno was still fairly nice. Honestly, he was <em>Exactly</em> the type Kagami would have expected for a relative of Tendou’s.</p>
<p>It was still odd how he hadn’t met the infamous Grandmother Tendou, though. Even if Giorno implied he hadn’t either.</p><hr/>
<p>“Okay, before ‘Amaterasu’ comes, do you have any Other relatives around?” Kagami asked, trying to get any information he can. “And, no, we are <em>not</em> using that name. Please, she’ll be teased so much-”</p>
<p>Tendou paused to consider the first question, decidedly ignoring the ongoing debate over their daughters name, that could wait for when they saw her in the flesh. “My paternal grandfather is allegedly still alive, though I have no relationship with him. …At least, not in this timeline, not beyond knowing his name.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“Ken Hayakawa. I am told he is the best in Japan at Many things, such as sperm donation. There is <em>much</em> I have to live up to Kagami, my father walked the path of heaven much like I, myself, do.”</p>
<p>“…Tendou, I need a moment. Please don’t be telling me that your Grandfather is <em>Zubat</em>.”</p>
<p>Tendou just gave him a look.</p><hr/>
<p>“Arata, how do <em>you</em> know about Zubat?”</p>
<p>“You’ve met my dad. There’s a <em>reason</em> we weren’t talking before last year.”</p><hr/>
<p>A day later, Kagami was by himself for an hour when… </p>
<p>“Ah, <em>you</em> must be Arata.”</p>
<p>Kagami turned, and froze. He had been in an empty room a second ago. And he had been able to See the door had been <em>closed</em>.</p>
<p>An elderly, yet <em>very</em> imposing woman stood just above the couch, t-posing at him.</p>
<p>Kagami <em>screamed</em>.</p><hr/>
<p>“Arata seems nice, if not exactly the <em>worthy</em> type.”</p>
<p>“Ah, you t-posed over him.”</p>
<p>“If he was worthy of you, he wouldn’t have screamed. Additionally, I have repeatedly told you and Jyuka to not call my Test that.”</p>
<p>Tendou gave a non committal expression. “And yet, He is who I have both chosen and fallen in love with, and the one who I am having a <em>Child</em> with, Grandmother.”</p>
<p>They both sipped at their tea.</p>
<p>“One day, you will understand what I mean Souji. He may have been chosen, but he was not <em>Chosen</em>.”</p>
<p>“If you are referring to Kabuto, you know full well that he is a Kamen Rider, the same as I am.”</p>
<p>She simply shook her head, giving no clarification.</p>
<p>Tendou was beginning to understand, a little, just <em>why</em> others tended to get frustrated with his methods of responding to questions.</p><hr/>
<p>“DADDY! TENDOU-SAN!”</p>
<p>Kagami ran to his daughter and picked her up, Kaoru having flown here with Jyuka so they could both meet the baby.</p>
<p>“HI SWEETIE, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”</p>
<p>Kaoru grinned happily. “HIGHER!”</p>
<p>Kagami lifted her higher.</p><hr/>
<p>“So, how goes trying new foods?” asked Tendou.</p>
<p>Kaoru stuck her tongue out. </p>
<p>“It’s fine, I <em>guess</em>. There’s still lots I don’t like if you’re not the one making it. …Also, can I have tempura? I liked it that time you made it on the boat!” said Kaoru.</p>
<p>“With Daisuke-san?” asked Yu.</p>
<p>“Yeah, when all the ladies were mean to me because Yu-chan was there, and Tendou just pulled me to go make tempura with him.”</p>
<p>Tendou nodded.</p><hr/>
<p>“So, you’re taking up Crocheting?”</p>
<p>“Yes. You, my siblings, <em>and</em> the doctor insisted that I needed to be off my feet. And you were the one to bring home those magazines, after all, along with the supplies.”</p>
<p>“…I wanted to make something for the baby.”</p>
<p>“It was a good idea. I’m currently working on a Rhinoceros beetle. Oh, and have these stag beetles. I’ve already made a Ladybug that I intend for Giorno.”</p>
<p>“Tendou, I- wait stag beetles, plural?”</p>
<p>“Yes. One is for Kaoru, of course.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Kagami trailed off, blinking. “I should have realized that.”</p>
<p>“I believe that you <em>Also</em> need to sleep, Arata.”</p><hr/>
<p>“…So, we’re in agreement that we tell none of our friends about how <em>much</em> crocheting we’ve been doing?”</p>
<p>“<em>You</em> are my only friend, Arata.”</p>
<p>“I’m pretty sure at this point you’ve made other friends.”</p>
<p>“Maybe so.”</p>
<p>“Wow, rude.” said Shouichi, <em>also</em> up far too late yet again, this time eating a spaghetti squash like a bowl of pasta.</p>
<p>“We are roommates and comrades in battle, Tetsuya.”</p>
<p>“You really <em>will</em> go the extra mile to not have to say that we’re friends, huh?” said Shouichi.</p>
<p>“…Shouichi-san… do you <em>always</em> eat vegetables like… this?” asked Kagami. Tendou was more or less used to this sort of behavior by now, even if he still cringed at it on occasion. At least he was not eating the squash Raw.</p>
<p>Shouichi grinned. “Nah, but you know how it is with spaghetti squash.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey, Tendou-”</p>
<p>“Don’t talk to me.”</p>
<p>Tendou was trying to count his stitches, and if <em>Anyone</em> interrupted him and he lost count <em>Again-</em></p><hr/>
<p>Tendou looked over his finished amigurumi, inspecting it for stray strands of yarn, and got up.</p>
<p>“Tendou?”</p>
<p>Tendou calmly got his coat on.</p>
<p>“My water broke five minutes ago.”</p>
<p>Tendou then watched Kagami go through the stages of grief.</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>New Years Day, 2008</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“We <em>Really</em> can’t name her Amaterasu…” said Kagami, who was still trying to calm down. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t cry, and yet here he was.</p>
<p>The baby was so little and tiny, and they’d made this, and she was perfect, and he was already a wreck</p>
<p>“Did you have a better name in mind, then?” said a tired, but amused, Tendou.</p>
<p>“…What about Ryouko?”</p>
<p>“…Yes, that’s a nice name, Arata. A new life for a new year. Welcome, Ryouko.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kagami yawned and went out into the waiting room.</p>
<p>He heard a rapid clacking of geta, the sound of running shoes following after.</p>
<p>Yu was giving him an expectant and excited look, and Kaoru was bouncing with excitement.</p><hr/>
<p>“Kaoru, Yu. This is Ryouko. She’s your little sister.”</p>
<p>“Yu is- I’m going to be a Good big sister, Papa!” said Yu, <em>finally</em> using first person.</p>
<p>Kagami covered his face to try to hide that he was crying again.</p>
<p>Tendou smiled fondly.</p><hr/>
<p>“Souji, no, I said <em>Ryouko,</em> not <em>Ryuuko</em>.”</p>
<p>Tendou frowned. “I heard what I heard, Arata. Fine, though. I can work with that for her introductory phrase. It may be less impressive than the dragon reference, unfortunately.”</p>
<p>“…Please don’t make it about face washing.”</p>
<p>“She’ll have my surname.”</p><hr/>
<p>Unlike Yu, Ryouko was Very Fussy, and nothing they did could get her to calm down.</p>
<p>It was frustrating, and upsetting.</p>
<p>She was his little girl, Kagami <em>had</em> to help her.</p>
<p>“Maybe it’s the hospital stuff? I can’t sleep if I’m not comfy.” suggested Yu.</p><hr/>
<p>Swaddling her in his coat seemed to do the trick, as Ryouko <em>Finally</em> Relaxed enough to sleep.</p>
<p>Kagami was So Relieved, and also heartbroken that they’d let her be uncomfortable for so long.</p><hr/>
<p>“Arata, why is Ryouko in one of your shirts?”</p>
<p>“I kind of turned it into a blanket for her. I’m pretty sure she’s not fond of the hospital fabric.”</p>
<p>“Ah, of <em>course</em>.”</p><hr/>
<p>Yu smiled brightly, happy to be out with her Papa and little sister.</p>
<p>She pointed out all the famous landmarks to her, the baby staring excitedly as they walked.</p>
<p>Tendou smiled at his daughters as he went to quote his grandmother.</p><hr/>
<p>“Tendou!” Kagami waved excitedly. It had been a long few months of not being able to see his partner, or two of their kids.</p>
<p>Tendou waved and made his way over with a fussing Ryouko.</p>
<p>The hug was brief, but only because this was a public space in a Japanese airport.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey there, Princess, I missed you so much, yes I did! Yes, I did!”</p>
<p>Ryouko only blinked at him confusedly.</p>
<p>“Oh… right, you wouldn’t really know me…”</p>
<p>“AH! AH!” she cried out, recognizing his voice and reaching up.</p>
<p>Kagami sniffled and held her closer.</p><hr/>
<p>“HEY TADOKORO, THIS IS RYOUKO! LOOK AT HOW CUTE SHE IS!”</p>
<p>“…” </p>
<p>“Tadokoro-san?”</p>
<p>“SHE’S ADORABLE!”</p>
<p>“I KNOW, RIGHT?!”</p><hr/>
<p>“Ah, good morning, Ryouko.”</p>
<p>She wailed and reached out.</p>
<p>“<em><strike>PAPA SO!</strike></em>”</p><hr/>
<p>“Yes yes, Ryouko, Papa Souji is here,” said Tendou, picking up Ryouko.</p>
<p>“You weren’t kidding about her still being fussy, huh.”</p>
<p>“It will be something she grows out of. She’s <em>our</em> daughter after all.” said Tendou, holding her closer to let her keep crying against him.</p>
<p>“…There now, it’s alright” he said softly, as he went to soothe her.</p>
<p>“She’s crying like she hasn’t seen you in days.” said Kagami, who as far as he knew hadn’t seen his daughter in months.</p>
<p>“She just needs to get used to you, she does know you after all.”</p>
<p>“Tendou, it’s fine. I-”</p>
<p>“You should hold her.”</p>
<p>He went to take her, Ryouko continued crying, but let go.</p>
<p>She only wailed worse when he held her.</p>
<p>“Hey, hey it’s okay. Papa Arata’s here. He’s got you, it’s okay.”</p>
<p>Ryouko sniffled, before clinging to his shirt.</p>
<p>“Had a bad dream, huh, Ryouko-chan?”</p>
<p>Ryouko babbled something out that Tendou just nodded to. (Kagami was still trying to Vibe with Ryouko and understand her like he had Yu.)</p><hr/>
<p>“So you need to go out again?”</p>
<p>“Yes, it won’t be that long, so I figured I’d spend that time with the children.”</p>
<p>“That’s good, Kaoru’s gotta get used to you being around too.”</p>
<p>“Of course, she’s going to be my daughter as well.”</p>
<p>“You sure you’re going to be alright with 3 kids on-hand?”</p>
<p>“I did fine in Paris with Yu and Ryouko.” said Tendou, who proceeded to begin a path of heaven and grandmother speech.</p>
<p>Kagami smiled fondly at him.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Unusual.” said Tendou, having tried to take Ryouko from Kagami</p>
<p>“Guess she missed me more than I thought, didn’t you Ryouko-chan?” said Kagami, slipping into baby talk and holding her closer.</p>
<p>“Don’t patronize her with baby talk, Arata.”</p>
<p>“<em>That’s</em> the part you have problems with?”</p>
<p>“It helps them learn to talk if you speak to them normally, Arata.”</p>
<p>“-I mean Kaoru learned to talk.”</p>
<p>“You can still call her cute and the like. Just use regular words.”</p>
<p>“I know. She’s just So cute. I can’t believe I have a baby again still, and Kaoru’s a big sister!”</p>
<p>“I was already a big sister to Yu-chan, Daddy!”</p><hr/>
<p>“Ryouko really missed Papa Arata. You should take him with you, Papa” said Yu to Tendou.</p>
<p>“I mean I kind of-”</p>
<p>“You had plans?”</p>
<p>“…Not really, actually.”</p>
<p>“Good. It would be nice to spend time with you as well.”</p>
<p>“You <em>can</em> just say you missed me.”</p>
<p>“I missed you, Arata.”</p>
<p>Kagami only blushed.</p>
<p>Ryouko thankfully calmed down, still clinging to his shirt.</p><hr/>
<p>And then a man in a suit dragged them into a mansion and yeeted them through a door</p><hr/>
<p>“So, we all agree to <em>not</em> bring up having gone to 2001 to anyone else, unless they were also there, Alright?”</p>
<p>“Got it.”</p>
<p>Kaoru nodded.</p>
<p>“Now… Let’s go home and pass out.”</p><hr/>
<p>And so they did. Tendou passed out on the couch immediately.</p>
<p>Kagami made sure he would be in a comfortable position, and covered him with a blanket.</p><hr/>
<p>“Girls, I know, but you have to-”</p>
<p>“We’re not leaving Ryouko alone, she’s little!” said a very sleepy Kaoru.</p>
<p>Yu nodded insistently.</p>
<p>“Alright, come on.”</p><hr/>
<p>Tendou woke up sometime later, still tired but wide awake.</p>
<p>This had very much not been the position he’d fallen asleep in.</p>
<p>Hmm.</p><hr/>
<p>He found his answer in how Kagami was curled up with the kids, all four of them deeply asleep.</p>
<p>Tendou decided he could actually use more sleep for once, even if it was an ideal hour to get up normally, and got himself comfortable as well.</p><hr/>
<p>“What do you <em>mean</em> you two only started dating properly last year?! I thought you’d been dating since 2006!” said Misaki.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you kept going to his house, or out for food, or all that stuff.” said Hiyori.</p>
<p>Kagami put his head down on the table.</p>
<p>“Oh, for heaven’s sake…” Muttered Tendou, thinking back.</p>
<p>They’d even gone to a sports game together, and there was that time with the metal concert too, too.</p><hr/>
<p>“So, apparently we’re idiots.”</p>
<p>“Indeed.” said Tendou, annoyed at having to admit it.</p>
<p>“I really should’ve realized that all those times going to your house, or going to stuff with you like concerts or that baseball game… all of those counted as dates. Especially with how often it happened… <em>Man, Oda’s schedule is Hell with how often it got changed</em>…” Kagami mutters the last part before continuing. “And then there’s how you apparently were so fond of me at first.”</p>
<p>“I wasn’t That fond-”</p>
<p>“Yes, you were!” said Kaoru, smiling.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Apologies for Kaiketsu Zubat on main, we watched it in 2020, and i cannot leave the headcanon alone</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>
  <span>Chapter Five</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>“Giorno.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come to Japan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, but why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m getting married.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m on my way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t you give him more information than just that?” asked Kagami.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He understands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello again, Kagami.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Giorno-” Kagami hesitated. “…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giorno tilted his head. “Is there something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, it’s just kind of weird seeing your daughters with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Sup Mister Kagami” said the older daughter, Aranacini, who was rather clearly adopted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The younger one, Shiori, just waved. (Despite her dark skin, she was clearly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> adopted, as she had her father’s eyes, and her hair attempted to curl like his in the back.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a bit weird having them. Even if those memories are </span>
  <em>
    <span>thankfully </span>
  </em>
  <span>fainter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jyuka frowned at her brother, blocking him from leaving the room. Really, he could be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stubborn</span>
  </em>
  <span> sometimes. “You are staying Right Here, Souji.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jyuka. The superstition is that a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bride and groom</span>
  </em>
  <span> should not meet the night before their wedding. Neither Arata or myself are </span>
  <em>
    <span>brides</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just because people don’t update sayings to keep up with the times doesn’t mean they can’t be right!” Giving him a serious look, she began to point upwards. “Grandmother said-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t- how </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> you use Grandmother’s quotes against me-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking advantage of his shock at having his own habits used against him, she closed the door to the room, with him still inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing, Jyuka looked down the hall. “Wonder how Misaki’s doing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking one way down the hall, and then the other, Kagami nodded to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started making his way down towards where he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fairly</span>
  </em>
  <span> certain Tendou’s room was, but was brought up short as he passed the closest column, someone having grabbed the back of his collar. “Ghk-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no, you don’t. Nice try, mister.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Well, it was worth a try… Hi, Misaki.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re Ken Hayakawa?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I came to see my grandson’s wedding… And also stop the world’s second best Glass thrower.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami looked at his dad, Giorno doing the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s not me. Why would </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> be </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> skill?” said Riku Kagami to his son. “I… was a martial violinist.” he muttered, before someone distracted him away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am Also here as the world’s best entertainer of grandchildren. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And</span>
  </em>
  <span> as the best acoustic guitarist in Japan. Oh, by the way, the band’s guitarist is an assassin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giorno quickly took out the wedding band’s guitarist. (He didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, just rendered him unconscious. He’d made a promise to keep </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> from dying today, and he intended to </span>
  <em>
    <span>keep</span>
  </em>
  <span> that promise.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm. Impressive.” Hayakawa nodded in approval.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giorno shrugs, feigning nonchalance. “I try.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yu looked at the man’s guitar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hey, you like that huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yu nodded. “The song was pretty”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Heh, come on. I’ll go teach it to you, but it’ll take a while to learn. My friend Goro Asuka wrote it…” said Ken Hayakawa to his great grandchild.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Giorno?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll keep an eye on them. Don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember, don’t let my dad meet Ryouko.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tendou picked Ryouko up. It had been a long day, having to be separated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The toddler was also tired from all of the wedding related activities, which he and Arata could relate to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, yes. I know. It’s been a long day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryouko gave a tired nod, snuggling against him. It wasn’t the first time she’d clung to him today -  she’d tried to be attached to his leg during the ceremony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…” the tired girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami looked over at Giorno, who nodded in confirmation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well that’s one way to get out of having to talk to people at the reception,” said Kagami.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad nothing went wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed, but that is Giorno for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re going away again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tendou nodded. “It’s not as though we weren’t both aware this was going to happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, just… what if I can’t handle the girls?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll do fine. You are very capable of raising our daughters.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite this, Kagami still worried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Especially when Ryouko panicked after misplacing her doll. Fortunately, Yu, being a very capable big sister, was able to find it quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed, tired after a long shift. He’d thankfully ended up on day shifts as a police officer, at least. Thank goodness Jyuka was willing to pick up her nieces from school… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Papa Arata?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Yu-chan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we get soba today?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Sure. Lemme bring you to this place Misaki used to take me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember. You went there a bunch with her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soba?” asked Ryouko.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yu nodded, and pat the toddler’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Papa Arata, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> also go to Tadokoro’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look real tired, his Magic healing soba might help.” Kaoru added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Magic!?” said Ryouko, her eyes wide.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>2009</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p><span>“Just… remember to use protection, </span><em><span>alright</span></em><span>,</span> <span>Souji?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Life with Souji Tendou continued to be a </span>
  <b>
    <em>lot</em>
  </b>
  <span>. Being ‘pulled into some sort of stage musical alternate world’ honestly sounded like it was about par for the course. Even worse, was this wasn’t even the First time this happened. The other time had dragged in the girls, but at least that one wasn’t a musical.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some things were still weird. Namely, being called to ask for permission to take part in an Orgy with Other Riders. There was something in the explanation about being forced to dance otherwise… Granted, if Kagami remembered the suits of the other riders he’d met, yeah that would get dangerous fast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then things got stranger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the only one I </span>
  <em>
    <span>Haven’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>used protection with, Arata.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! But then, how did-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The condom didn’t work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is how Yu-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arata Kagami was not listening anymore. He was more shocked by the fact that Condoms could </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fail</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami had </span>
  <em>
    <span>no idea</span>
  </em>
  <span> how he’d also gotten summoned to this world. Nor why he or G3 Weren’t allowed to leave like Garren had been able to. Out of the summons who’d been backup dancers for Diend’s song and dance number, at least the three of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span> were real. He wasn’t entirely sure about some of the others - that one with the ‘X’ on his helmet and the one with the trumpet seemed to be imitations, at least.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… anyone wanna go join the orgy?” Diend proposed, with an audible grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Please be the same one Tendou’s in…” muttered a worried Kagami.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was, in fact, the same one, much to Kagami’s relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tendou even looked Very happy to see him - </span>
  <em>
    <span>visibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy, in a less subtle manner than usual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Despite what I asked, I had a feeling you would appear if I waited,” said the man, before going into a path of heaven speech.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>2010</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should have a fourth child, before my uterus is removed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami looked up. “…What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean… sure, if you’re alright with it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, they did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>2011</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome, Hidenari.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I keep telling myself I won’t cry, and every single time…” Kagami wiped a tear from his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine. You’re meeting our children for the first time, after all. If there was ever a time for crying, it is now” said Tendou, with a very fond and Very tired smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, where’d you get the name Hidenari from, anyways?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Someone I knew… in the other timeline.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s really funny, is all. My friend Oda has the same first name.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…The one with the bad schedule?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah- Tendou, do you need to meet my friend Hidenari Oda?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tendou remains quiet for a long few moments before answering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww, you named a kid after me? Thanks, Kagami!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, did you really just… never take off your helmet while on duty?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep.” Oda nodded. “I mean, I was tempted, ‘cause </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span> your husband’s handsome, but I never worked up the courage.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So. Why haven’t I met Ryouko-chan or Hidenari-kun yet? I was even at your </span>
  <em>
    <span>wedding</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Arata.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dad, do I have to remind you of what your and Kusakabe’s grand plan boiled down to? You know, the berserk switch, the same one that you introduced to Tendou with a story about someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>dancing until they died</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah. …Arata, how did you find out about that…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ask Shocker.” said Kagami coldly, slightly surprised his dad was just admitting that this was true.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>2014</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Father?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Hidenari?” said Tendou who was consoling his daughters after this latest nonsense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t die again, I didn’t like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Or</span>
  </em>
  <span> go hang out in weird murder forests.” said the boy bluntly before hugging Tendou’s leg tightly as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yu, what did Dad say about trying to get in fights?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I saw someone in danger, and went to help. I’m fine after all, and Dad was there, as were two Other riders”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yu</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Kaoru sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She was trying to make herself look smaller. If I didn’t help, who would have? You missed her, after all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not the point, sis.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, Hidenari, we’ve talked about this. You can’t call people weird who Aren’t in this family.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hidenari gave an annoyed look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hidenari!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Souji Tendou watched the news talk about a giant meteor about to hit the earth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He also recalled his husband’s most recent phone call about having to deal with worms again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Kabuto zector flew to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why don’t you lend Arata a horn? He’s worthy of you as well, even if he’s Not on the path of heaven.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Zector floated by his face, Tendou had the sense it was giving him an annoyed look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He might surprise you” said Tendou with a fond smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The Kabuto Zector didn’t choose me, and I was never able to beat Kabuto… Souji, either. Not in a fair fight. That’s why… I can’t even beat an imitation Kabuto.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>But you Can, I Know it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami turned to face Sougo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re a powerful warrior</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Sougo smiled as he continued</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I think I'll appoint you to head of security when I become king, so you can protect my people</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami started to laugh. He’d heard a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> over the years he’d been married to Souji Tendou. But a King? That was a new one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Even if the words themselves </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> close to what Tendou said to him, whenever he had to leave for career related reasons, thought Kagami, reflecting back.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh Wow, a King…! Well,That’s the one boast he Never made</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Blazing..in the red sunset...the horizon...we swore upon.~</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Whether I love or I hate…</span>
  </em>
  <em></em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  
  <em>
    <span>La la la, la la la…~</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em></em>
  <span>I can never walk this road with you again...~</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s such a sad song Yu-san”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It really is, my great-grandfather used to sing it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yaguruma-san!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sou Yaguruma had been in the middle of walking off into the distance, having had to see Kageyama die again, even if it had only been a worm duplicate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami could relate. Having to watch the worm who’d duplicated Ryou die… well, it wasn’t one of his fonder memories from the year he’d met his husband.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yu Tendou pointed up at the sun. “Papa Said this: Pay your Child Support! And Go To Therapy!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arata Kagami face-palmed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> was why as Yu had gotten older she’d looked familiar to him, in a different way from Tendou, wasn’t it? She was fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yaguruma’s kid</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that explained her fashion sense when she wasn’t at home, and why she’d ended up With the Hoppers back then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…He really was an idiot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am the woman who Excellently walks the paths of heaven and hell, Yu Tendou.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Souji Tendou squinted, back home from France. The family was around the dinner table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where did you pick that last bit up, Again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arata groaned, burying his face in his hand. Kaoru, Ryouko and Hidenari continued eating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have weird news, and WEIRDER news…” he muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The watch part is new, but I should have assumed much of this would happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And… the part about Yaguruma being Yu’s-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are her father in all the ways that matter. He spent barely any time with her, and in that short time was able to traumatize her enough to need therapy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…So… </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> sent the zector?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You and I are both aware that one cannot convince the Zectors to do anything they do not choose to do. And, as I should have made clear: To </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>you’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>long </span>
  </em>
  <span>been worthy of the Kabuto Zector.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kagami, not knowing what to say, threw his arms around his husband and hugged him tightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>2020</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you two- Oh. Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You guys had another kid, too, huh?” said Shinnosuke Tomari, not mentioning how Zi-O had somehow accidentally caused all of this. Shinnosuke had his own newly-born youngest with him as well, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” Tendou nodded, almost smugly. “This is Shinnosuke.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe we made him…” said Kagami, holding their youngest son.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…You know I wasn’t being serious that time in 2001 by saying-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I made a promise.” said Tendou, as if that explained everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re calling him Shinn.” said Kagami. “That </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> cut down on any confusion between all the assorted Riders.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sometime in the future</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excellently Walking the paths of heaven and hell, Yu Tendou. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rise-san.” she said with a smile.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>